Something to Live For
by Kyrleia
Summary: Usagi is born to the Son's. HiiroUsa! RR! Chapter 19 up!
1. A star is born

Okies people, I would like you to meet one of my muses, Kandy-chan (She made me mention her) ::little thing with butterfly wings and green hair flutters up and bites AngelFlame on the ear:: ::Angel winces:: A little annoying, but when she gets hyper, she can sure give you some good ideas, especially for humor. ::Kandy-chan looks smug for a moment, and then glares at AngelFlame::  
  
Kandy-chan: Hey!!!! What's that supposed to mean!?!?!?  
  
AF: Nothing!!!!!  
  
Kandy-chan: ::grumbles:: ::glares some more:: ::turns to readers and gives a saccharine smile:: I'm going to have a word **cough, cough** with Angel here, enjoy the fic!!!! ::Grabs AF's ear and flies out of the room, pulling AF with her::  
  
Info: Gohan: 21 Trunks: 11 Goten: 10 Bra: 2 Adults: mid-40's Setsuna: ancient. But she looks to be about 20!!! Don't we all wish we could do that?  
  
Goku is alive because I want him to be.  
  
Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own nothin', and neither do you. (Unless you're Naoko Takeuchi (sp.?), Akira Toriyama, or whoever owns Gundam Wing, in which case I grovel at your feet) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***************************************************************~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~*~DBZ dimension, year 1985~*~  
  
*ring, ring* Bulma picked up her phone. "Moshi moshi... Honto!?!?!? Now?!?!?!....... All right, I'm on my way!" Bulma hung up, with a big smile. She skipped out of the room, and then broke into a run, heading towards the Gravity Room. She turned off the gravity and slung the door open.  
  
"Onna!! What is the meaning of this?" A man with spiky black hair that defied gravity yelled.  
  
"Shut up Vegeta!!!! Chi Chi's having her baby, and we're going to the hospital. NOW!!!" She barked, when Vegeta opened his mouth to protest.  
  
"Onna, I am the prince of all Saiya-jins. You can not order me around!! I am saying here to train!!!! I do not care if that weak onna is birthing the spawn of Kakkarot!!"  
  
"My name, in case you didn't know, is Bulma, and either you come, or you sleep on the couch and cook for yourself!" Of course, Vegeta gave in. "I thought as much." Bulma smirked before slamming the door and stalking to the stairs. "TRUNKS!!!!!!! Get down here!!"  
  
"Hai Kassan?"  
  
"Come on, Chi-Chi's having her baby."  
  
Trunks sighed. "Do I have to?"  
  
"Hai. Besides, Goten will be there. Go get Bra."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Vegeta!!!! Get out here!!! Now!!!!!" Bulma screeched while Trunks covered his ears.  
  
"What?" Vegeta half-shouted with his permanent scowl affixed to his face.  
  
"To the car!!! March!!"  
  
~*~Meanwhile, at the hospital~*~  
  
"AAAUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!" Ripped through the waiting room. "This is all your fault Goku!"  
  
Inside the hospital room, a black haired woman was screaming at a man with spiky black hair that defied gravity, who was presently cowering in the corner. Goku ran out of the room.  
  
Goku got back into the waiting room just as the Briefs were entering. "Goku! How's Chi-Chi?" Bulma asked worriedly.  
  
"Scary." was the only response she received.  
  
"Goku, you get your butt back in there and give her some support!!"  
  
~*~after a few more hours of labor and screaming~*~  
  
Congratulations Mrs. Son! It's a girl!"  
  
"What should we name her, Chi-Chi?" Goku asked, while cooing at the baby girl he held in his arms.  
  
But Chi-Chi was tired and mumbled "Whatever you want Goku. Just make it nice." before falling asleep.  
  
Goku looked down at the giggling child and whispered "Usagi. That's what we'll call you. Usagi."  
  
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Soooooo...... whatcha think? If you finished it, then it can't be that bad!!!! Review and tell me, and I might just continue. I know this is no E=MCsquared, but the formula is this: R=^.^=More 


	2. The cliche cliffhanger

It's BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!! Don't walk!! Run!!!!! It's...... The Author!! Gee... who'd you think it was, the Blob?? For heaven's sake, people!! ::scratches head::  
  
Oh, well. Even though I received a stunning amount of 3 reviews, I will post this chapter just to those who *did* review. Perhaps I failed to mention that I usually only post a new chapter when I get ten or more reviews. Special mention to Sweet Sere, Michi Hatabaki, and Chibi Kaijuu- sama, my ONLY reviewers!!!  
  
Chibi Kaijuu-sama (BTW, LUV the name!!): If I gave you a description of the plot, then you'd know the whole story. Besides, it hasn't played itself entirely out in my warped little mind yet!!! ^.^ thanks for the offer, though!!!  
  
Michi Hatabaki: No offense or anything, but I think "New Life" has been overdone.  
  
I heard this song the day after I posted the first chapter, and it got me to thinking: Is Saints and Angels an OK title? You tell me. The song is by Sara Evans, and if you've ever heard it, you might get the general idea as to why I might name my story that.  
  
Some info I forgotted to put last time: Bra will be 1 year older than Usagi, Marron will be 3 years older than Usagi, and Pan will be 1 year younger than Usagi. Gohan and Videl *are* married, as you can tell from the existence of Pan, which, by the way means "bread" in Japanese.  
  
Sorry if some of the word run together. My space bar's broken or something. Must've dropped it too many times! ::sheepishly rubs head:: heh heh.  
  
Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
Thoughts are in italics.  
  
Usagi is four in this.  
  
OK, enough chit-chat. Time for the story.  
  
Usagi was incredibly bored. And impatient. She had been studying all day, because her mother believed in starting a good education off early. *Very* early. Most children her age couldn't even read yet, and yet here she was, have eighth grade algebra stuffed down her throat. At least I'll get tonight off, she thought. Her father would be home within the hour, and he was bringing Bra over to spend the night. Usagi was planning to ask Bra to teach her how to fly, since her mother wouldn't let her father teach her. She sighed deeply, eyes riveted to the clock as she propped her head up on her palms. She would just have to wait.  
  
~~The next day~~  
  
It was after breakfast in the Son household, which meant that the men were off training and Chi-Chi had a kitchen to clean up. Bra and Usagi had retreated to the small table in the kitchen to have some hot chocolate and giggle over all sorts of things.  
  
"You know what, 'Sagi, I always wondered how you got blonde hair and blue eyes, while everybody else in your family has black hair and eyes." Bra mused aloud.  
  
"I dunno. But Tou-san and Nii-san can turn their hair blonde, and their eyes bluish." answered Usagi.  
  
"Yeah, but you're always this way."  
  
"I know. I suppose that it's just that way. I guess that some things are just the way they are, and there's no changing it, 'cause it's supposed to be that way for a reason. Either that or it's just, I dunno, that way."  
  
"Ummmm... okay." Bra replied, blinking. Usagi had never ceased to amaze her. It was beyond comprehension how a girl of only four years could speak like she was centuries old.  
  
Outside the door, Chi-Chi stood, frozen. How strange, was what ran through her mind.  
  
~~Later that day~~  
  
Usagi had snuck out, again. It was nearing evening, and Bra had left, so she had nothing to focus her mind on. As she was deftly climbing a tree about a mile from the house, something grabbed her ankle and swiftly covered her mouth. Usagi's world went black.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I know this cliffhanger is overused, but I couldn't help it. Besides, it might just get some more people to review. ::evil cackling:: Review!!! If I've told you once, I've told you a million times!!! Have a cuppa tea with a nice review on a croissant sent over!! If no tea is available, a latte will do more than just fine.  
  
Oh, and before I forget, since you already know that Hiiro/Usa is the main, YOU get to vote for the supporting couples!!! YAY!!!! anything you like, except, I will ALWAYS pair Haruka/Michiru!!! 


	3. It begins

^.^ Angel LUV'S reviews. Yep, she does. Why is Angel talking in third person? You tell angel. She is very strange person. Angel would like to thank all the nice people who reviewed her little story-ma-dealy. She sends reviewers fictional hugz and chocolate. K's? Well, Angel loves good reviews, even if there is small amount of them. More next time, K? Angel is only posting this chapter because it it finished and since *8* new peoples reviewed last time!!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: ::Kandy-chan holds up sign:: Angel does not believe in disclaimers, but as she is locked up in a padded white room, she does not have any control over her muses, it is safe to say that she does not own Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, or Dragonball Z. Back off.  
  
Since Ff.net does not seem to show italics in Angels fics, she will now write thoughts inbetween //these//  
  
Angel's puter desk is very cluttered. Yep. She also has no idea why she just wrote that.  
  
"On with the fic!" the valiant knight cried as he charged through Angel's messy bedroom. (He soon hit the wall and is now trying to prove that he is neither insane nor gay.)  
  
~~~~~~~~ ********** ~~~~~~~~  
  
In a brilliant flash of light, a golden being appeared in a foggy area, holding a small child.  
  
"Destiny!" cried another, paler, being. "Bring Serenity here."  
  
"Fate." Destiny nodded by way of greeting. She handed Usagi over to the raven-haired woman. "You do realize that she may never forgive us for this."  
  
"Yes, of course, but it has to be done. Serenity is the one being whom we have no control over. Or, she will be. She needs to be properly trained, did you not see that her mother was never going to allow her to train like her father and brothers? In her life as Sailor Moon, she will have to hide her love for battle, and pretend to love Endymion, for a while, at least, for this to work."  
  
"So we will cause her to suffer, but since we cannot see her future, only her past, she may still find happiness."  
  
"Of course. And knowing her, she will go to any lengths to acheive that happiness. But hurry. We need to perform the memory block." Fate said, placing one hand over Usagi's forehead. Another flash of light ensued, this one dimmer. "Oh my." was what escaped Fate's lips. "It seems that her mind has already developed to the extent that I cannot fully wipe her memory. No matter, she will only have fleeting glimpses, all fuzzy, until she can break the block. All she will be left with is her given name. Usagi." Fate handed Usagi back over to Destiny, who had been watching with the smallest hint of worry and compassion in her eyes.  
  
"Sorry, Serenity, this will hurt a bit." She murmured. producing yet another flash of light, then Usagi was gone.  
  
~~DBZ dimension~~  
  
Videl Son was brushing her hair when she suddenly gave an all-knowing smile. //It has begun. I wish you happiness in your new life, Ohime-sama. //  
  
~~GW dimension~~  
  
In a green field, a portal opened, and a small girl fell out of the sky.  
  
"Itai!!!" the girl yelled, rubbing both the back of her head and rear.  
  
"Who are you?" said a child's voice. The girl looked up, and was surprised to se a boy of about seven giving her a peircing stare.  
  
She blinked a couple times, tilting her head to the side as if to assess the boy. "Watashi wa Usagi." she finally chirped. "Who're you?"  
  
"Watashi wa Hiiro Yui." the boy said. "Where'd you come from?"  
  
Usagi seemed to be trying to remember that. "Actually, I really don't know."  
  
"Well then, how 'bout I take you back with me to meet Dr. J. He's a scientist."  
  
"Okay."  
  
~~9 years later~~  
  
Usagi touched the glass in the window gently, tracing the outline of the new moon. "I have to leave tomorrow, and I won't see Hii-chan again for so long." the thirteen-year old whispered to herself. "I wonder if he'll ever know."  
  
"Know what?" A monotone voice queried. Usagi turned, with a sad look in her eyes.  
  
"So much, that I dare not tell you." she spoke softly, walking towards him and touching his cheek. Hiiro brought his hand up to cover hers, still staring down at her.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"You are my best friend, and I do not wish to ruin that."  
  
"But you might ruin our friendship by my *not* knowing." Hiiro argued. Usagi smiled a bit. She was the only one that he actually spoke full sentences to. They had trained together these past nine years, and almost literally knew eachother inside out. They knew what the other's favorite food, drink, music, and time of day was. They could fix eachother's Gundam, and their Gundams had the same amount of power. They could finish eachother's sentences, and had been to the hospital together so many times that they knew eachother's blood type, and that Usagi was allergic to Penicillin. Though he was sixteen, he didn't care that Usagi was three years younger than him, at an age when most boys would. He even teased her from time to time, most often about her diminutive stature, when no one else got more than a grunt or "Hn." out of him.  
  
Usagi just sighed. She knew that he would get it out of her eventually, so she surrendered. But she would only tell him so much. "You know that I'll be leaving tomorrow, and that I'll be gone for three years. There is much I have to do, and keeping a lot of secrets is one of them. I will not be able to contact you or Dr. J at all. I guess I'm just worried." She explained, hugging Hiiro around the torso and resting her forehead on his chest. He clumsily ran his fingers through her short silver hair in an attempt to comfort the only woman in his life, though she might never know that.  
  
"Why are you worried, Chibi?" Usagi smiled gently. He had given her that nickname because of her severe lack in height when she was nine, and it had stuck. She sighed. It was now or never. She stretched up on tiptoe, brought his head down slightly, and kissed him. After a moment, she pulled away.  
  
"I don't want you to forget me." She said, then disengaged herself from his arms, and left the room.  
  
~~DBZ dimension~~  
  
Videl smiled. //He won't, hime. You made sure of that.//  
  
~~~~~~~~ ********** ~~~~~~~~ Whatcha think? Polls are still open for the supporting couples!!!! And for the possible title of Saints and Angels!!! Review!!! Ja ne!!! 


	4. Missing you

^.^ Thank you all you kind reviewers!! Polls are still open for the title and supporting couplings!!! Kandy-chan has been going on strike a bit, but one of my other (and favorite, but shhhhh...) muses, Mighty Mouse has jumped right in and sent me on a wave of creativity!!! ::gets hit in head by flying mallet:: Gah!! Kandy-chan!!! Why do you have to be so mean?!?!?!?! (it's no wonder I like Mighty more.) ::ducks as Kandy-chan throws rubber duckies:: Well, gotta go, Ja!  
  
Thoughts are inbetween //these//  
  
::little person with short brown hair and dragonfly wings flys up, holding sign:: Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, and Dragonball Z belong to there respective owners. No sueing!!!! All Angel has is babysitting money!!! She hides it too!! ::Mighty smiles:: Tinkerbell never had it so easy.  
  
~~~~~~~~ ********** ~~~~~~~~  
  
Usagi closed her eyes as she stood in the dark woods. Willing energy towards her scalp, she concentrated on changing her look a bit. Her hair started to grow at an alarming pace, soon reaching her ankles. She then proceeded to will it up into two odangoes with streamers of hair coming from each. As an afterthought, she turned it to the bright golden it had been when she was little. When she opened her eyes, they were no longer a dark blue with a silver overcast, but a bright cerulean blue. She was now clothed in pink cover-all shorts, with a white tee-shirt and white sneakers, and was about two inches taller. As Usagi looked down at her atire, her lip curled slightly in disgust at the color of it. "I look like the Peacecraft bitch, but it'll have to do."  
  
She then picked up her suitcase and slung her bag over her shoulder, and jogged for the airport that was just within sight. When she reached the counter, the clerk barely gave her a glance before asking, "Name?"  
  
"Serena."  
  
"Identification?" Usagi produced a passport, complete with her new form's picture and permission to fly out of the country. "Destination?"  
  
"Tokyo, Japan."  
  
"Here's your ticket, have a nice flight." The clerk droned unenthusiastically. Usagi made a face as she turned away. She was flying coach, so she had to wait when she found he boarding dock. On the plane, she was dismayed to find that she had been seated next to a geeky guy who looked all to eager to drill her with all sorts of useless information throughout the flight. However, halfway through the trip, when Usagi's eardrums were buzzing from the endless factual tidbits that she already knew, so had no use for, she found him to have fallen asleep, slumped against her, drooling all over her shoulder.  
  
"Ugh." Usagi didn't make another sound until she got off the infernal plane. At the checking area, where she gathered her bags, she spotted the Tsukino's waiting for her. As she walked up to them, she prepared herself to go into flawless-acting mode. "Konnichiwa!!! You must be the Tsukino's!!!! Watashi wa Serena!!!" she chirped brightly, plastering a huge smile on her face. //I can tell that my face will be very sore soon.//  
  
"Hello, dear." The woman said with a motherly smile. "Watashi wa Ikuko, this is my husband, Kenji, and this is Shingo. Welcome to Tokyo!!!"  
  
"Don't you have a last name?" Shingo asked bluntly.  
  
"Iie, actually. I was found when I was four, and I didn't remember who my parents were. Amnesia, the doctors said." Usagi retorted good-naturedly, tapping her temple.  
  
"Well, then, you can borrow ours for the time being." Kenji said a bit gruffly. Usagi smiled. She would have to work on him.  
  
"Arigato." Was all she said as they left the airport.  
  
~~two years later~~  
  
Usagi drummed her fingernails on her desk, getting ready to "fall asleep" in class. //Haruna-sensei was really very understanding, and she really gets into our little 'late' acting.// Usagi thought. //Though she still seems a bit confused as to why I would want her to pretend like I was actually failing this grade, and that I don't turn my work in. Such a dear woman.// She rested her head on her arms, missing the glance that Haruna- san sent her. //Doing both college, and high school, and senshi business, and dealing with Mamo-baka, AND the tiny bit of undercover work that I have is really taking a bit out of me. Maybe I'll actually sleep tonight.// Usagi smiled sardonically. She usually only slept three nights out of the week, and tonight would be her fourth this week if she did decide to rest. The other nights, she was training as best she could without the proper equipment or magnitude, so really it was more of a warm-up stretch than real training. When this was all over, she was going to train HARD with Hiiro. Suddenly, a yard stick was slapped hard in front of her, reminding Usagi to jump up, surprised, all in the name of good acting.  
  
"Tsukino-san!!! What was I talking about??" Haruna-sensei demanded, giving Usagi a cold look.  
  
"Ano..... trees?" Usagi guessed, looking as clueless as she could muster.  
  
"Iie. Detention." was all that Haruna-sensei said as she turned on her heel and walked to the front of the classroom. "Since Tsukino-san has decided to sleep in class," Usagi made herself blush and look at her shoes, "Perhaps someone can explain to her just exactly what we were discussing." Haruna- sensei looked around the room. "No volunteers?" Another piercing gaze. "Very well, then. Mizuno-san, you may get Tsukino-san caught up after class."  
  
~~Winner Estates, London, England~~  
  
Hiiro was once again deep in thought. To the outside world though, he was just as he always was. Wufei was chasing Duo, Quatre was rubbing his temples, sighing, Trowa was just watching, ever silent, and Hiiro was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and face emotionless. He was somehow managing to listen to everything going on, and see it, but be thinking about different matters at the same time, a skill few have mastered. //I wonder what Usa's doing now? She'd better be okay. I shouldn't be thinking about her. But Chibi's been plaguing my mind ever since.... WHAT DID THAT KISS MEAN????? Kuso!!! She asks me not to forget her, as if I could, right after kissing me without giving an explanation, and then she just leaves!!!! And I have no idea where she is!! Her Gundam is going to fall apart with disuse if she doesn't hurry up and get back!!! Actually, it won't, but it's a good excuse, anyway!!!That girl is seriously threatening my mental health.//  
  
"Hey Hiiro, whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" Dou asked gleefully, bouncing from one foot to the other. Uh oh. It seemed that Hiiro's mask had slipped for a moment, and they had seen the anger and confusion in his eyes. Hiiro just brought his gun out of who-knows-where and aimed it between Duo's eyes.  
  
"Omae o korosu." He simply stated in monotone. //Kuso!! Baka baka baka baka baka!!! Baka!! NEVER slip again!!!// he thought as he lowered his gun. //I miss you, Chibi. Hurry up and come back.// was all he could think as he walked away.  
  
~~~~~~~~ ********** ~~~~~~~~ ::yawn:: it's 2:49 in the morning here. The things I do for you people!! Review. Also, I'm a big fan of Quatre/Trowa, but if you guys vote more for them with other people, it shall be done!!! Remember: Is Saints and Angels a good title?, and vote for the supporting couples!!! Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames will be removed.  
  
~Ja ne, minna-chan!!, and Oyasuminasai!! 


	5. Interlude: DBZ

^.^ Thank all you beautiful, beautiful people who reviewed!!! I would have posted this sooner,but.... well, it's a long story. Anyway, this is a DBZ chapter. You get a small peek at what her life there was like, and her relationship with her parents and friends, and friends parents. Sometime within the next few chappies, you will get a lot of Usa's history, and a few plot holes will be filled. Ten or more reviews again,and REMEMBER TO VOTE ON THE SUPPORTING COUPLES!!!!!! POLLS CLOSE NEXT CHAPPIE, AND STILL, PRETTY MUCH NO ONE HAS GIVEN ME A CLUE!!!! If No one votes, I get to pick, and if you don't like my probably off-the-wall pairings, :P It's your own darn fault!!!  
  
Note: This story wil be titled "Something to Live For" in the future. Credit goes to moon_babe07 for the title. Moon_babe: What's the deal? I tried to email you, but he delivery failed for some reason.  
  
Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
Thoughts are in between //these//  
  
~~~~~~~~ ********** ~~~~~~~~  
  
Videl stared into the bathroom mirror, then her eyes slowly drifted closed. She was tired, drained, almost, and frightened. She had been having strange thoughts for a long while now. Well, she wasn't sure if she could quite describe them as thoughts. Sometimes, it seemed as if her subconcious had acquired the info, and displayed a quick flash in her mind, and it soon faded to just a fuzzy recognition, with no full thought about it.  
  
A very lost and confused woman tore her eyes from the mirror and released the death grip she had on the counter. There were deep grooves in the palms of Videl's hands from clutching the counter so tightly. She straightened and turned for the door. A fifteen-year-old girl was waiting with her father for her outside. //No cause to make them worry. Nothing major has happened yet.//  
  
~~*~~  
  
In a sunny bedroom, wooden floorboards comfortably worn, child-size bed neatly made, toys and what-not stored appropriately, and raven-haired woman stood, clutching a small, white tee-shirt to her chest. Her head was bowed, and an expression of great sadness was etched into her face. //Usagi's favorite shirt.// Chi-Chi was deep in memories.  
  
~~flashback~~  
  
A tiny girl of about three was watching her make dinner, while clutching a stuffed bear to her belly. Goku came in, sweaty from training, and reeking from the perspiration. Chi-Chi had laughed when he attempted to hug her, and told him to go shower before she would get anywhere close to him. He pouted, then trudged off to the living room, where he flopped back into a chair and removed his boots.  
  
The golden-haired child had followed him, and stood in the doorway, looking curiously at her father. Then, without a word, she quietly walked up to him, and crawled up onto his lap, where she promptly fell asleep. To say that Goku had been shocked was an understatement. He knew that both Gohan and Goten loved him, but they had never been so- well, comfortable with him. Plus, Gohan was married, living on his own with his wife, and had a daughter himself. And Goten in those was awkward, early-teen years where he really wasn't open about anything. Goku was unable to stand for hours, for fear of waking the sleeping angel, but he really hadn't minded. He simply petted his daughters head gently, and looked at the wonderful creature that he had helped produce in total awe. In a way, he was more frightened of his own daughter than he had been of any of the villains he had fought.  
  
The reason for his fear may have been because Usagi had always been slight in build, since the day she was born. She was so small and fragile that, to Goku, she was both as breakable and precious as an exquisite piece of glass. He was so strong and, in a way, clumsy, that he feared that he would hurt his beloved daughter. Little did he know that Usagi's small body held a soul that had more purity, beauty, and strength than he could ever imagine.  
  
Chi-Chi had leaned against the doorway, smiling softly as she watch her husband and daughter. It was one of those sugary-sweet things described in fairy tales and children's stories. He deserved to have one child that he was there for, and that wasn't afraid of him, or shy of him, or that held their distance. His child-like enthusiasm towards everything was perfect for Usagi. It was the final piece of the small puzzle, until that one was jerked away, and replaced with a more difficult, larger one, with smaller pieces, some that might never be found.  
  
~~end flashback~~  
  
Goku had been hit the hardest when Usagi disappeared. He was just better at hiding it. For the first few days afterwards, he had seemed dazed, lost, and confused. Even Vegeta had been sensitive to this, and had let his arch-rival be until he could create a good enough mask to hide his great loss. There was still a gaping tear in his life, though. Sometimes Chi-Chi woke up at night, just to find him staring blankly at the ceiling, hands behind his head. Since that day when Usagi had slept on his lap, father and daughter had been exceptionally close. When Usagi was four, she was not afraid to admit to *anyone* that she was a Daddy's Girl. She had even spoken her first words to her father.  
  
~~flashback~~  
  
Usagi hadn't spoken until she was three. She had giggled as a baby, but after this lapsed into complete silence, through which Goku could occasionally break through, earning him a smile and a laugh. That was the strange thing about Usagi. She was an unusually somber child. She almost never cracked a smile, and her eyes seemed to always be watching, with a great amount of wisdom, but still betrayed nothing else of her. Concerned by her absence of speech, Chi-Chi and Goku had taken her to Bulma, who insisted that the girl was perfectly fine, but just, didn't talk. Bulma had termed it as "elective mute." So they left her alone, until she decided to talk.  
  
Goku was up early one morning, as usual, to start his day of training. When he got to the kitchen, though, he was surprised to see Usagi there. He hadn't thought to scan for her ki, thinking that she'd still be asleep. That was only the beginning of the shocks. She greeted him witha clear, happy, and fully articulated, "Ohayo Gozaimasu, Tou-san. How are you this morning?" Goku had reeled in surprise, and his jaw had dropped almost to the floor. He managed to gasp out.  
  
"Y-you talked!!"  
  
Usagi looked at him quizzically, slightly amused. "Well, of course I did. Your ears aren't playing tricks on you." Goku had just stared at her for a moment before breaking into a huge grin and sweeping Uthe child into a bear hug. He carried her to the master bedroom, went over and shook Chi- Chi awake. His wife glared at him a bit for waking her up so early on a Sunday. Looking at them it was a cute sight. There was Goku, in his regular orange and blue gi and boots, supporting Usagi, in her white long johns and bare feet, on his hip. Usagi looked at her, a bit annoyed, with an expression that clearly said 'I feel your pain.' Then, it came. "Don't ask me, Kaa-san. I've no *idea* what Tou-san's on about now. For some reason, he felt it necessary to wake you up because I somewhat surprised him this morning." At this, Usagi cracked a huge grin. Chi-Chi's eyes widened, then she fell back in a dead faint, only to wake up a moment later. She started laughing.  
  
"I just had the oddest dream. Usagi was talking to me, and she spoke like an adult, not a three-year-old who hasn't spoken before."  
  
"Well, I assure you, it wasn't a dream." A small voice piped above her. She looked up to see Usagi there, a large smile on her face, and a twinkle of amusement in her eye. She joined the hug. Later that day, Gohan and Videl, and Bulma had similar reactions, but all managed to stay concious. Usagi even got to yell at Vegeta, who had called her a 'stubborn mule that isn't even intelligent enough to speak.' When she heard this, Usagi's patience, which had been tested that day, was completely shot. "SINCE WHEN, HAS IT EVER BEEN ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT I SPEAK TO YOU?!?!?!?! JUST BACK OFF!!!" had reverberated through Capsule Corp., and had ecoed off the mountains.  
  
Vegeta, who's ears were ringing because the loudness and close proximity of the yell, and the saiyan's good hearing was an unfortunate trait in this account, admitted that "Damn she's got a set of lungs." Ever since, he held a sort of respect for Usagi, and was glad that she was friends with his own daughter, Bra.  
  
~~end flashback~~  
  
A tear rolled down Chi-Chi's cheek. She missed her only daughter so much, and it was even more awful after these eleven long years. Suddenly, though, she felt a warm, large hand on her shoulder. She whipped around, and buried her face in the front of Goku's gi, and let go of her restraints. She cried herself dry, Goku all the while rubbing her back and holding her. After a few last sniffles, she wiped her red eyes, then, softly said, "We'd best get ready for the party tonight.  
  
Every year, on June 30th, they celebrated Usagi's birthday. Without exception. The Briefs were invited, but otherwise, it was just family. Usagi's birthday had become an almost religous affair, a way of reassuring themselves that she was still alive, and that they would find her. It would be in a couple hours, and Chi-Chi still had to cook a *lot* of food.  
  
~~At the party~~  
  
//Usagi is fifteen today.// was the thought that was on everybody's mind. As twilight was setting in, Videl got up to get some more food off the grill. When she was sbout seven steps from the table, a large sound, like giant firecrackers, went off, closely followed by a blinding flash of light. When everyone brought their hands from their eyes and ears, they saw that two strange women stood in front of Videl. They were of equal height, but one was golden in skin and yes, and had a golden-brown mane of wildly thick hair, and the other was paler, and had waist-length black hair and brown eyes. They spoke in unison.  
  
"We are the sisters Fate and Destiny. It is time that you receive your memories, Time-Guardian."  
  
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Review!!! Vote on the supporting couples!!! Remember: This will be title "Something to Live For" in the future!!! Don't forget!!! I want those of you who actualy read my story to be able to find it again!!!! ^.^ Thanks again moon_babe07!!! I'll be sure to use some of those other titles in the future!!! 


	6. Poll results

SO sorry for the delay!!!! I have just experienced my first case of writer's block!!! WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Somebody save me!!!! Please, tell me, is there a cure?!?! Whatever, enough excuse making. Like Daddy says: Excuses are like bungholes. Everybody has one and they all stink. On with the ficcy!!!! The votes are in!!! And the results are:  
  
Duo/Minako Quatre/Trowa Makoto/Wufei Haruka/Michiru Mamoru/Cathy Ririna/Yamcha Pan/Trunks Ami/Goten Bra/Millardo Tien/Rei Marron/Motoki Hotaru/Shingo (In this fic, Usagi and Shingo are not related, and Shingo is about a year older than Usagi) Damn, I really wanted a Hotaru/Duo pairing, but maybe next time!!! Or maybe I could change it later in the fic.....(hinthint)  
  
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
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Flash. Flash. Flash. An excruciating pain shot through Videl's body, and she could see nothing but a strange white glow that pulsated before her eyes. //Am I dying?// she asked herself. The glow was beginning to grow brighter, and she squinted her eyes against it. Then, with another stab of pain that to her seemed to shatter her skull, it all became clear.  
  
Back at the picnic table, everybody was watching as Videl seemed to stand very stiffly, then start shaking as she squinted her eyes at something they couldn't see or sense, she cringed slightly at something, then with an audible gasp, her eyes flew open, and she gave a large smile. "Fate!!! Destiny!!!" she cried, launching herself at the two beings still standing on front of her. First she wrapped them into a hug, before she seemed to realize what she was doing, and pulled away and held them at an arms length, then dropped her arm and coughed sheepishly.  
  
"You must really be surprised, it's not very often at all that you lose your composure. Not even for us."  
  
"Just what is going on here???" Mr. Sataan roared.  
  
"Tousan!!!" squeaked Videl, shocked that she had forgotten that everybody else was there. "Well, it's a very complicated story, and I'll have to tell you all in a moment. Calm down, getting all angry is bad for your heart. I want to talk with Des-" but Fate and Destiny were gone. Videl glared at the spot they had occupied a moment past, then muttered under her breath. "You know, that's just like them. Always leave me to do the explaining. How very typical." Nobody quite heard anything other than a low grumble uttered by Videl, and seemed slightly confused at why she was angry. "Well then, I guess I'll explain now, then. It all started a very long time ago. Several thousand years, in fact......"  
  
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Usagi's eyes were riveted on the clock. She was at a sleepover at Rei's, and nobody was really curious as to why she was staring at the timepiece that was hung on the wall. Ami kept sneaking worried glances at her, because, though she was smiling her usual bubbly smile, and adding stupid comments to the conversation, she could tell that Usagi wasn't really interested in how many boys Minako had flirted with today, like she usually was. Usagi, on the other hand, knew that she was slipping, and still, she couldn't care less. At midnight, her term of three years was over, and it was eleven fifty-seven right then. //Three more minutes// she mused anxiously. //I can't reveal myself tonight, but tomorrow is a different story. These guys are gonna get a taste of the real me!!//  
  
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As the tale that Videl was telling them drew to a close, the group of people before her stared in disbelief, slack-jawed. She had told them of her past, and it mentioned someone called "Serenity-sama" "Serenity-hime" and "Usagi-sama" several times, along with many others, some of whom were villains.  
  
"Who is the Usagi you speak of? What happened to her? Was she connected to Serenity-hime somehow?" Pan begged, tugging on Videl's short skirt. She hadn't dehenshined, and Gohan seemed to be very flustered by her fuku.  
  
"Pan-chan, Usagi is the reincarnation of Serenity-hime. She is also your aunt Usagi." At this, Chi-Chi made an odd sound, something like a small whimper.  
  
"But what *happened* to her? You never really said!! How did she become my Aunt Usagi?"  
  
"She...well, she..." a look of great sadness overcame Videl's features, and she turned to look at Goku and Chi-Chi. "Would you like to see the life of your daughter? From the Silver milennium to where she is now? I can assure you that she is not dead." Chi-Chi nodded quickly, then Goku. "As you wish, but it might prove to be very painful for you."  
  
"I want to know what happened to Usagi, and maybe seeing her past will help me to understand why she had to be taken away." Goku said quietly. Videl just nodded, and then she made a motion with her hand and a tall staff that looked somewhat like a giant key with a red ball inside a heart at the top appeared in her hand. She closed her eyes, and soon a shimmering, swirling substance appeared before her. It was something like fog, but heavier and more contained. It moved like a galaxy, turning on itself and floated in a rough circle at around eye height. Videl whispered something that they couldn't understand, and there was a flicker, then a picture appeared.  
  
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Bwahahahahaha!!! Yes, I know you hate me!!! Review, though!!! 


	7. Silver Milennium

*I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY BETWEEN CHAPTERS!!!!!!! Believe it or not I have an excuse!!!! You may not want to hear it, but it's true!!!!! My parents broke my baby!!!!!!! That's right, my parents broke my poor, poor, computer, and I'm just now able to get it back online. I hope that'll teach my dad that vacuuming the inside of the computer tower is NOT a good idea. Thank you for your patience, and just for your wonderfulness, this chappie will be extra long, but WILL have a cliffie!!! I'm still not ready to tell you what "it" is. (If you read my two side stories to this, you'll know what I'm talking about.) Enough of my senseless babble, on with the fic!!!!!  
  
Standard disclaimers apply. ::makes face:: But I can dream, right? Hey, my birthday's May 11, maybe I'll get a surprise birthday present!!!! ::snorts:: Yeah, right. With my luck? Not happening.  
  
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The picture flickered, then steadied and they could see the form of a girl of medium height striding briskly down a hallway of white marble. Her golden hair was up in two "odangos" on either side of her head, and long streamers of hair fell from them to her knees. She was wearing a dress of finest silk, pure white in colour, with golden circles around the top of the sleeveless bodice, the gold clashing horribly in the halls of blinding white. She reached a pair of large doors, and, without knocking, burst through them.  
  
"Serenity!" A taller woman, seated on a throne, snapped. "You know better than to barge in here when I am in a meeting without being called!"  
  
"We have some.... issues, shall we say.... to discuss, mother." The girl replied icily. Her eyes were visible now, and the Z-group could easily tell that while she was seething in fury, and her regal tone never wavered, she was greatly saddened. They could tell this only because of one, tiny, flicker in her gaze. To the untrained eye, her cerulean blue eyes were so intensely guarded that she seemed emotionless. The only thing you could tell, just by looking at her, was that she was of noble blood. Her posture, the way she held herself so rigidly, and her look of utter superiority gave that away in an instant. However, there was a blatant challenge in her voice, and her words, so clipped and imperious, told volumes about her upbringing and training. Anybody but her mother, who seemed to be considering her words carefully, would have cowered in fear.  
  
Her mothers voice, clear and commanding, was as imperial and cold as her daughters. "Not now. As you can see, I am in the midst of a council with these respected representatives of the Noir district. We will speak later. Until then you shall return to your quarters and conduct yourself as you know you should."  
  
"No. We will speak now. It is a pressing matter that I wish to discuss."  
  
"It will wait. I have more important issues to deal with. My guards will escort you back." The lavender-haired woman clapped her hands lightly, as if afraid that she would break her own arms were she to do anything more than lightly touch her hands together, and two tall guards appeared at Serenity's sides, took her by the elbows and returned her to her rooms. Serenity did not resist, but remained as emotionless as she had been earlier. It was as if she was used to this.  
  
~~~ Chi-Chi was surprised to say the least. She couldn't believe that this robotic-seeming girl, who appeared to lean to the snobbish persuasion, with a holier-than-thou attitude, was who her daughter, in a past life, had been. Goku and the rest of the group seemed stunned, but what they saw next softened their hearts. ~~~ Serenity paced in her room, which was as fitting to her personality as a snowball on a summer day. The frills and pastel pink and yellow colours did not suit her at all. Suddenly she stopped, checked to be sure that no one was standing outside her door, and went to her wardrobe. She flung the heavy oaken doors open, and reached to the back in search of something. A wad of crumpled clothing was pulled from the recesses of the dress-filled closet. As she changed, the picture faded to protect her privacy, and when it focused again, Serenity was wearing a pair of black leggings, which seemed melded to her slender legs, a black shirt that hung loosely to her thighs, and a forest-green vest was over the clingy shirt, belted at the waist by leather ties that were attached to the sides of the vest.  
  
She pulled her hair into the tightest bun she could make, which was still very large, considering her unusual length of her hair, and pulled an over- large and floppy straw hat over it. A wig of black hair that fell to the middle of her shoulder-blades was sewn to the inside of the hat. As a final disguise, she put her thumb to the moon insignia on her forehead and whispered a charm to make it disappear until she called it back. Then, walking to her window, she reached out and grabbed hold of the roof ledge, pulled herself up to crouch on the windowsill, and flipped up onto the roof.  
  
She ran swiftly and silently over the immense palace roof, jumping from peak to peak with utmost grace and agility. When she reached the other side, she catapulted herself off, flipping to land almost soundlessly on the forest floor. With a cursory glance at her surroundings, she stood, and ran deeper into the forest, where she came to rest on a rock in the very middle of the "haunted" woods. Her hat and wig were quickly tossed to the ground. She closed her eyes, and when she re-opened them, the shields were down and the torrent of emotions in her deep-blue orbs could have brought the strongest of men to a stuttering and clumsy attempt to try and comfort her. She was incredibly sad, and there was no hope at all glittering in her eyes, not a discernible shred. It was as if her world, her very reason for staying alive, had been crushed.  
  
With a shower of red sparks, however, a man appeared, and she lifted her gaze from her feet to meet his eyes. He seemed to be shrouded in a dark mist, making it impossible to distinguish any features such as eye color, hair color, or just basic appearance. He took one look at her, and then strode through the thick trees to sweep her into a hug. Serenity practically collapsed in his arms, sobbing into his cloak.  
  
"What's wrong, sweet?" the man murmured, stroking her silken hair, which had fallen from the bun it had been in.  
  
"Mother has betrothed me to Endymion." She choked out. In his eyes now reflected a vast amount of pain. He blinked, though, and when his eyes opened again, they were carefully guarded. He stroked her hair and murmured indistinguishable words to calm her. "How... how can you be so calm about this?" She sniffled, her voice now nasal from the crying. She rubbed at her red nose, and looked at him for an answer.  
  
"Because you'll be safer with him," Was the quiet reply. "He is the Prince of Earth, and can protect you far better than I can as a third-class half- breed soldier."  
  
"But he's positively horrible!!!! He's so vain, and condescending, and cares for nothing and no one but himself!!! Besides, I don't love him!! I love you, can't you see that??"  
  
"I know, but he will be able to take better care of you, and keep you safe."  
  
This threatened to make Serenity cry again. "How can you be so selfless and selfish at the same time? I hate him, and nothing good can come of me marrying him. He only wants me as his key to power, and even if I grew to tolerate him, this world leaves me no options!!! One, I'm bound to be faithful to him, while he is not bound to be faithful to me. Two, the best I could ever hope for would be for him to die in battle, but even then I can never remarry, and I am expected to produce an heir, a son, within the first year of marriage, as our society does not look to kindly upon women, especially those who are widowed or unmarried!!! Three, you're so much more than just a half-breed soldier. You're the only person I've ever had the pleasure to know, who is a good sparring partner. We are equal in power, and it is only by the misfortune of who we were born to that makes any difference at all."  
  
"But you will be safe, that is what I care the most about, that you are well and out of harms way."  
  
"I will be safe from everybody but myself! There are rumors that I'm crazy, you know, and I'm starting to think that they may be correct. The kind of life that I live tends to warp one's mind. Look how my mother turned out!!! Were I to marry Endymion and be bound to him, I would kill myself the night before the wedding. Or I would run away!! I have come to hate my own people, who keep me confined and oppressed beneath what they think is proper and right. And just to be correct, I wouldn't in fact die if I chose to kill myself, at least not with the way I am now."  
  
"What do you mean?" Serenity sniffled, and took a step back from the man, and drew a dagger from her vest. She put one arm straight out, and swiftly drew the dagger across it. He winced, but amazingly, she didn't even blink, but kept her eyes locked with his. He watched in astonishment as the silver blood spilled to the ground before a glow surrounded the area of the wound, and it healed.  
  
"Normal Lunarian's have red blood, like a human's, and Royals have Golden blood. I also had golden blood until my fifteenth birthday. I have discovered that I am immortal, in a way. The only way for me to die would be to be killed by someone of equal or greater power than me. But I can, however, destroy my physical body, and my soul, which is indestructible, would be reborn. However, I can only destroy my physical body by no mortal means, I would have to overpower while refusing to change forms, or find a way to bind this power and then.... well you get the idea."  
  
The man reclaimed her into a tight embrace, and kissed her. When they finally came up for air, he whispered: "Then what are you suggesting?"  
  
"I know of a way to bind my power, I have just been reluctant to do so until today. Once that is done, there is a place, far from here, but very isolated that we could stay. And we could be happy."  
  
"For the first time in our lives." They both smiled ruefully at this. It was obvious that neither of their lives had been very enjoyable.  
  
~~~ Goku was feeling sorry for these people, they, the girl especially, had so many problems, and the girl did look as if she could have some psychological issues. The boy was very sad, yet very giving, and obviously loved the girl with everything he had. The girl's mother, it seemed, was something of a control freak, and was irked by her defiant daughter, who wouldn't submit to her will like everybody else. He realized then that it might have been one of the reasons that Usagi had been so somber as a baby, and had a hard time doing anything that she didn't see as reasonable. The girl and boy's story, though... reminded him of some old play Gohan had spoken of before. What was it.....? Oh yes. Romeo and Juliet. He hoped that it didn't end like that, though.  
  
~~~ The picture shifted to an area by a stream that ran clearly and swiftly. Serenity and the man that had been with her in the woods were sitting cross- legged on the ground, dressed as they were before, facing each other, with their knees touching. Serenity had a bolt of red cloth in her hands, and the man held a sword. He laid the sword flat-sided against Serenity's right arm, the one that she had cut before, which was resting on their knees. Her billowy sleeve was rolled up, so the tiny scar that remained of her demonstration to him showed.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" the man inquired worriedly.  
  
"Yes." Serenity answered, her certainty obvious in her voice, and trust clear in her eyes. He placed the sword so that the blade lined up with the thin scar on her arm, turned it, and drew the sharp edge across cleanly. The blood welled up, and Serenity wrapped the red cloth around it tightly, muttering an incantation so that the wound didn't heal like it had last time, and eventually tucked the end of the cloth into the bandage. The silver of her blood haf formed a pattern on the cloth where it had soaked through. Serenity was still chanting the incantation. Suddenly, she turned, leaned forward, and plunged her arm into the water, still muttering the spell. A silver cloud billowed up in the clear water from her blood. When she drew her arm from the water, she repeated the incantation one more time before standing up and pulling her sleeve down. "It is done."  
  
"Can you be sure that it worked?"  
  
"Of course. I can feel the change already running through my veins."  
  
~~~ It was the night of the announcement of Serenity's engagement to Endymion; she and her beloved had decided to wait until then to run off. Most everybody would be drunk because of the celebrations, so they could probably slip past unnoticed. They hadn't counted on Beryl's attack though. The people went down in waves, one of the final ones including her lover. Finally, it was just Beryl and Serenity.  
  
"You know, you could just give up. It would be so much easier. You can either join me or die. It's your choice." Beryl said, nastily. Serenity just stared at her, the death of the only person she had ever loved leaving her eyes empty, soulless in appearance. A solution occurred to her. She crouched down, pulled the sword from the stiffening fingers of the soldier that lay dead at her feet, looked at Beryl once more, and without a word, jammed the sword through her own chest. Beryl merely raised an eyebrow at the figure before her as it fell to its knees on the bloody battlefield, then keeled backwards and died.  
  
A scream tore from Queen Serenity's mouth. Just then, with the loss of her daughter, she'd realized what she'd had. The saying that 'You never know what you have until its gone.' was correct. It occurred to her that if she had listened to her daughter, or had loosened the iron fist in which she held everybody, Serenity might not have resorted to this. She pulled out the Silver Crystal, and called for Beryl to be sealed and the rest of the court to be reborn, everyone, including every last peasant and child. The extremity of the wish ripped all of her energy from her, and she merely slumped to the ground, closed her eyes and stopped moving. With her last breath, a tear escaped her eye, and her sorrow was so great that it could be felt just by looking at the once-great queen's lifeless body. The tear rolled off of her cheek and crystallized in midair, making a 'plunk' sound as it hit the floor.  
  
~~~ They all stood in the yard, some collapsed onto the picnic table, all silent, and all of the women sobbing, especially Chi-Chi. Their crying was not that of wailing and pounding their fists, but of grief and horror so deep as to being reduced to having their hands clapped over their mouths, rocking themselves back and forth as the tears silently slid down their cheeks. Juunana-gou was not crying, but sat silently, her eyes empty, and her lip trembling the slightest bit. The children clung to each other and cried, the men sat stunned and silent, even Vegeta and Mr. Sataan, and Gohan caught Videl as she collapsed.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, "that was more tiring to me, especially as I just got my powers back, and that was the true story, which was harder to access, because in their most recent past life, they were separated, and given the wrong memories when they 'regained' them. My queen wished for them to remember happier things, as she never forgave herself for causing them so much pain. Serenity-hime was so very powerful, but bound her powers so she could live with the man she loved, so Fate and Destiny took the chance while they could and put her lover in a completely different dimension.  
  
No one knows just exactly who, or what, to be more precise, Serenity is. Even I don't know why she had the power that she did, or who she was to have that power. So much for the all-knowing Guardian of Time. Ah, well, Nobody ever doubted that Serenity-hime was much more powerful than me, anyway, even in her lowest form. Though, I was surprised to find that no matter how hard I searched, I could not find the answers to my questions; I had to accept the fact that Serenity-hime eluded me still.  
  
The spell that Serenity-hime used to bind her power would only last for several thousand years, because she thought ahead and knew that she may have to use that power someday, so went for a temporary block. She was separated from her beloved in attempt to let her mother's original wishes play out, but it didn't work. Though far less devastating in terms of deaths, her last life ended as badly. It tore us to shreds when she did what she did, and that is how I came to be re-born, instead of remaining alive as I did before. Without her, out light was gone, and we lost the will to live, and allowed ourselves to die.  
  
In that life, for some reason, Serenity was, in a way, programmed, to be a ditzy klutz. I don't really understand the logic behind that, but it was done. I suppose that it may have been so that the many enemies that she fought would underestimate her, and then she would kick their butts, but it was really a drastic change from her original personality.  
  
When she was reborn here, Fate and Destiny knew better that certain things wouldn't work to be pulled over Serenity-hime's sharp eyes. They also knew that her powers would be re-awakening soon........."  
  
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~~~~~~~~ I know, not much of a cliffie, but it got ya thinking, I hope. I personally think that this has been my best piece of writing so far. I tried my best to make Serenity less perfect, I hope I succeeded, and Queen Serenity less cliche. Hiiro was supposed to be more caring, yet also more troubled. I also tried to change the classic tale of the Silver Millennium to a more life-like one. Please review and let me know if I succeeded. This took me half of a day to write. BTW, PLEASE read my sidestories to this, titled Scream For What Good It'll Do, and I'm Coming, and This Time She'll Be Happy. I would really appreciate it; it seems as if just because their Genres don't have "romance" in them, no one reads them. THANKIES, and REVIEW!!!!! 


	8. Usagi's torment

Ossu, minna-chan!!!! Gomen Nasai for the whole not-updating quicker thing. I've been a bit busy, what with being shuttled back and forth to a city that's 90 miles away twice a week because of my parents' doctor visits. So, when I go a long time between updating, please remember that I have a lot of things weighing on my mind, so it may take a while to find the time and inspiration to write. I already do most of my writing between 11:30 PM and 3:00 AM!!! ^_^ Thank you.  
  
On a happier note, I'm thouroughly thankful that everything is happening during the Summer Vacation!!!  
  
I've made a bunch of revisions to the chapters before this. Please go back and check if you get confused.  
  
I don't own SM, GW or DBZ.  
  
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{recap} {Videl/Pluto speaking} "When she was reborn here, Fate and Destiny knew better that certain things wouldn't work to be pulled over Serenity-hime's sharp eyes. They also knew that her powers would be re-awakening soon........." ~~*~~  
  
".....And with the awakening of her powers, they would lose control of her, and this time they wanted her to be happy, as herself, so they took her from here, and planted her in another world where she would be needed, and where she could grow and flourish. They were also going to let her seek out her beloved, and have him this time, that is, *if* she was willing to fight for him, which is a stupid question to ask. At the same time, though, they put the Sailor Senshi there, for they had been devastated with her last life... here, let me show you."  
  
~~ More picture fade-ins and stuffies.~~  
  
The picture faded to a short girl with golden hair, with a smile affixed to her face, as she hummed and spun around in a park, her arms out, and her head tilted to the sky, her eyes closed. A raven-haired girl ran up to her, violet eyes glinting with michief. She snuck up to the golden-haired girl, and quickly reached out and grabbed her shoulders, shouting "BOO!!" The blonde girl jumped and started to yell at the black-haired girl.  
  
"Rei!!!!! What didja do that for!?!?!?!? You Meanie!!!!!!"  
  
"Calm down Odango Atama!!! You should have seen the look on your face, Usagi!!!" Rei laughed. There was a group of other girls coming up.  
  
"Don't call me that, Rei!!!!!"  
  
"Rei, you shouldn't antagonize Usa so much." A quiet, blue haired girl advised, the smallest of smiles gracing her delicate features.  
  
"You've got to admit, Ami, they are fun to watch." said a tall brunette, mirth obvious in her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, Ames, soon the rasberry war'll start." Another blond girl snickered.  
  
"I still don't think that Rei should try to annoy Usagi so much, Mako-chan, Mina-chan." Ami replyed, as quietly as ever. Then she sighed. "Don't they ever quit?" Looking slightly annoyed at Rei and Usagi, who were pulling eachother's hair and shouting insults.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
ChiChi smiled, clearly amused. Those girls, Usagi and Rei, acted more like sisters than friends. She looked over and saw the silly smile on Goku's face, and even caught Vegeta smirking.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The picture then shifted to a battle. It was inside some sort of building, and a group of girls in odd, short-skirted fuku's were there. Two of the were tied to some sort of pillar, and another, one that looked a lot like Usagi was yelling at the two pinned to the pillar. She seemed to be guarding another girl, smaller, with black hair. The two on the pilar threw attacks at the black-haired girl, and Usagi (for they could only assume that it was her), jumped in the way, taking the blasts' full brunt. She feel to her knees after those attacks. Then, the black-haired girl started to glow, and when the glowing stopped, she was wearing an outfit similar to the others, only with purple being her over-ruling color. She held a tall weapon that resembled a staff with a large, sharp blade at the top.  
  
The fighters on the pillar were now seeming to panic somewhat. They were struggling against their bonds, and shouting something, which the other girls paid no attention to. The one in purple said something to Usagi, and when Usagi attempted to advance to her, held the staff/blade to her throat. She looked at her in kindness, but firmly asserted that she was going to do whatever she was going to do on her own. Then the girl went into a glowing column, and Usagi cried. She was on all fours, beating her fist on the ground, yelling something. Finally, a bunch of lights swirled about her, and her outfit changed somewhat. She then went into the column after the other girl. There was an explosion, and then Usagi stood from the rubble of the ruined building, holding a baby wrapped in purple blankets. The two that had been tied up ran to her. The blue haired one took the baby and the other caught Usagi as she passed out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
They watched as several battles were waged, each progressively getting worse, harder. In the final one, the picture blacked out in the end. In between the battles, there were times of happiness and peace, such as the one in the park earlier. But the point was that those girls spent a large part of their lives fighting. Videl explained that the reason that they couldn't see the end of the last battle was because NO ONE knew what happened at the end of that. All they knew was that the evil had been destroyed.  
  
There were several scenes at an arcade, and even more at the same park that they had seen earlier. There were many, MANY scenes in which they watched amusedly as trivial arguments broke out between Rei and Usagi, mostly, and sometimes other girls, who were later identified as Haruka, Michiru, Videl's past self, who was named Setsuna, and Hotaru. Usagi seemed to be involved with a tall, black haired man, who always seemed to be a bit, well, off. It was easy to see that while they may have harbored some sort of feelings for each other, something that looked to be at most a tenuous friendship, they were not suited for each other as far as long-term relationships went.  
  
Then, the picture changed to a dark room with several lamps in it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi was crying on a black-haired girls shoulder. It was Hotaru, the one that everyone else seemed to be afraid of. Hotaru was smiling softly, patting Usagi's back in an attempt to console her about whatever it was.  
  
"What's the matter, Usa-mama?" Hotaru whispered.  
  
Usagi lifted her head from the fragile girls shoulder, raising her tear- stained face and blood-shot eyes to meet the unwavering gaze of her surrogate daughter. "I don't love him like I should, Hota-chan." Hotaru nodded, understanding what she meant. "I'm supposed to spend eternity with him? We hardly speak, we never go on dates, we're both roped into a soon-to- be marriage of convenience. And you're the only person that I can talk to. The others love me, I know, but they are divided right down the middle, and making them choose between their concern for me and their longing for Crystal Tokyo would be not only impossible, but unfair to them. What should I do?"  
  
Hotaru pondered her words carefully. "It's okay, Usa-mama. I understand. And I, for one, think that you have done enough for us. How many times have you risked and given your ife for us? Too many too count. And no," she cut off Usagi's forthcoming protest, "you did NOT owe it to us. If there is any debt to be paid here, it is us who owe you. I believe that it's time that you did something for yourself, you've been so selfless that doing something for *you* wouldn't be selfish at all. So, I say do what you really WANT to do, deep down. In the end, every one will see why, and they will love you the same."  
  
"When did you get to be so wise?" Uasgi was no longer crying, and she and Hotaru were resting against the footboard of Hotaru's bed, Usagi's head dropped tiredly against her friend's. They looked rather cold sitting there on the floor, but it seemed that they didn't notice. Hotaru laughed quietly.  
  
"You know, we're alike, you and I. I remember you telling me once that 'we are a perfect split of light and dark, and as such, we balance eachother out. One shadow, one sun, we are perfectly matched, for your predominant power is dark, and mine is light. We are both ends of the spectrum, each spanning from the black to the white, and the gray area in between. Though we are only cousins, this makes us closer than sisters. But, we are not purely one thing. In you runs light, too, and in me runs darkness. Therefore we perfectly match each other. Like twins.' Don't you remember?"  
  
"That was back in the Silver Millennium. You had come to me for comfort, because everybody was terrified of the Senshi of Death. I also told you that all they see are the the words 'Death and Destruction' in your title. They don't notice the part that says 'Healing and Rebirth.' Had they known that we were cousins, they would have treated you differently, but that wouldn't have helped much, because deep down, they would still fear you. It is in their nature to fear that which they do not know. What is strange to them is automatically perceived as dangerous. That's the way it is. You know personally how long it took even Ruka, Michi, and Sets-chan to accept you, and the inners STILL haven't. But, I knew you first, and we were always the closest."  
  
Hotaru giggled slightly. "Kami-sama, the rest of the senshi would all have heart attacks if the knew we were related. But we're straying from the subject. Do what *you* want to do. Not anyone else. You. You hear me, cousin?"  
  
"Sir, yes sir!" Usagi saluted mockingly. Hotaru pushed her softly. Usagi pushed her back. Soon they were collapsed in a fit of giggles, and Hotaru was glad to have raised her cousin's spirits. A few minutes after they had quieted, Usagi stood up, offering a hand to Hotaru, who grasped it and got pulled to her feet. Usagi drew her long tan overcoat tighter, shivering in the chill that was creeping into the room. "I'd better be going, there's a meeting at Rei's temple in a little bit, 'Inners only.'" she mocked, obviously not impressed with Rei's prejudice against the Outers. "There'll be another meeting for everybody next week. Be there with Ruka, Michi and Setsu. Take care, now."  
  
"See you later, Usa."  
  
"See you, 'Taru." With that, Usagi left, sighing as she breathed in the fresh Spring air outside of the Outer's mansion. It would be warm enough for shorts next week, she'd bet. It had almost been the day before, but that day had been colder than usual.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The overall rection of the Z-gang was a sad smile, for they could see Usagi's uncertainty, and her unhappiness in being caged. But at least she had one person that she could count on to always be there and be truthful and fair with her. What they saw next both confused and shocked them.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
All of the senshi had gathered at Rei's temple, and for once there was no fighting, even though the tension in the air was thick. Usagi was concentrating hard on a large book as Ami was talking and occasionally pointing things out for her. Apparently the meeting was a study grou for the most part. Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna were leaning against the far wall, patiently waiting for the real meeting to start. Hotaru was sitting cross-legged in a corner, eyes closed and dead to the world, it looked like. Usagi sneaked a glance at Hotaru out of the corner of her eye, and something seemed to trouble her. Her brow wrinkled as if thinking hard and confusedly about something. After a moment she turned back to the book she was holding but not really paying any attention to. A minute later, her head snapped up, a new understanding in her eyes. Everybody snapped to attention, Hotaru shooting to her feet, when Usagi slammed her book down, and stood up quickly. She cast a glance at everyone, then ran out of the temple as fast as her feet could take her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~ ************ ~~~~~~~~~  
  
Muahahahahahahaha!!!! Cliffie!!!! Yes, I know you hate me, I'm dragging it out to long, but it's good marketing, people!!!  
  
**IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ:**  
  
If you're wondering what Usa was talking about, about her and Hotaru being cousins, and all the light and darkness stuffs, basically, their fathers were brothers. Both of their mothers in the Silver Millenium were of light, and their father's were of darkness. Such a union was forbidden, so no one could know about them being cousins, and no one could know who their fathers were. Nobody dared to question such powerful queens when they gave birth to children while out of wedlock. So, Hotaru and Usagi are half light, half darkness (not very original, I know), but their respective powers were predominantly Dark for Hotaru, and Light for Usagi. But that doesn't mean that Hotaru can't use Light power, or that Usa can't use Dark power. Basically, though, they create balance. Their mothers thought it only fair for them to know that they were related, and told them, but forbade them to tell anyone else. They're pretty much best friends, and as they said, closer than sisters, like twins.  
  
I know that in one part Hotaru was regressed to being a baby, but let's just say that she grew super-fast, causing her to be about the same age as Usa, like she's supposed to be. I don't know if this happened in the manga or TV show, seeing as I only saw part of the show, and have never laid hands on the manga, much to my great disappointment. Anyway, I changed the battles and other things to my liking. If you don't like it, then I plead Artistic License!!!  
  
Next chapter shall reveal what happened at the end of this chapter!!! But wait, there's more!!! If you review this, my sidestories, and my new release called Jade Lake, you shall get Chapter 9 even quicker!!!!! If you don't, it may take MONTHS for me to update!!! Yes, I am perfectly aware that this is both shameless plugging and blackmail, but guess what?? I DON'T GIVE A FLYING RAT'S @$$!!!!!!If you want to be a dear and read and review my sidestories, called *I'm Coming, and This Time She'll Be Happy* and *Scream For What Good It'll Do*, and Jade Lake, just click on my author name!!!! And of course, Review this chapter!!!! Or else reviewing the others will be of no use, as it comes as a package deal. Yes, I'm an evil Bitch. Get over it. 


	9. Lucky

Eh, I'm back, as you knew I would be. I feel very calm, so I decided to write. May I suggest listening to Pachelbel's "Canon" when feeling riled up?? It's a beautiful and calming piece. ^_^ Anyhoozles, I suppose that this chapter was long in the coming, huh? I seem to have run bone-dry on creativity lately, and have recently been flooded with an urge to write. About this story, I'm not sure whether to draw it out and everything, or to just give it a short, snappy end soon. I warn you, though, there may still be a few surprises up my sleeve yet!!  
  
Disclaimer: Same old, same old.  
  
telepathy  
  
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[recap] Everybody snapped to attention, Hotaru shooting to her feet, when Usagi slammed her book down, and stood up quickly. She cast a glanced at everyone, then ran out of the temple as fast as her feet could take her.  
  
~*~~*~~*~  
  
Usagi hurried to the top of a little knoll behind the building that she had run from. She knew that if she thought about it too much, she would change her mind. Her senshi dashed after her, reaching the mound just in time to see her standing upon it, facing the breeze, her hair whipping out behind her and a terrible, sad look on her face. Her expression bespoke of long suffering, revealing all the pain in her soul. They didn't know what was going on, all but Hotaru it seemed. She was biting her lower lip, trembling slightly, and in her eyes they could read the pride, the pain, the denial and acceptance, and most of all, the love. She blinked back tears, not wanting to show weakness.  
  
Usagi glanced back at Hotaru, with and expression that clearly said that she understood, and it will all be all right. A hint of a wistful smile graced the hime's face, and she returned to staring at the distant mountains. Frozen, the senshi watched warily as she took out the Ginzuishou, then with horror realized what was going to happen.  
  
"NO!!!" Haruka yelled, trying to run to Usagi, perhaps to shake her and bring her back to her senses. A barrier of energy held her back, though. She collapsed to her knees. It was the first time that anyone had seen the senshi of wind cry. Usagi raised the crystal above her head, and they could see the beam of light gathering in the sky directly above her, then shooting down towards it's summoner. At the last moment, Hotaru, gathering all of her strength, dashed in and grabbed Usagi in a hug. When the blinding light receded, they were both gone. One last telepathic massage pulsed through their minds.  
  
I am sorry. Don't worry, though, we'll meet again. I promise. It was Usagi's voice, unmistakeable. Next was Hotaru's.  
  
I'll take care of her. I- *We* will miss you, but you'll come to understand eventually. Take care. Until next time. Everybody was crying and holding each other. Their best friend, the light of their lives was gone.  
  
~*~~*~~*~  
  
"I suppose that you, especially, can understand their despair." Videl said, tiredly leaning against Gohan. "I'm afraid that I can't show you anything about her new life. I've run out of energy, and I think that it may be blocked from me. I can't see it myself, so, I'm not entirely sure about it." Her head lolled against her husband's shoulder. She yawned, then nodded off. Gohan picked her up easily.  
  
"We should all go to bed now." He stated. Everybody nodded, still assimilating all that they had seen.  
  
Later, Goku and Chi-Chi lay together in their room. "Who knew that Usagi was so special. I mean, we knew that she was special, but no one had a clue about just how important she is." Goku said to his tired wife.  
  
"I hope that someday she comes back to us. Both our boys turned out to be great fighters, but we may never know what our daughter has or will become." Chi-Chi murmured.  
  
"Hmmm." After that, they slept.  
  
~*~~*~~*~  
  
"Where is that Odango Atama?!?!? She completely missed the meeting this time!! " Rei roared. They were searching the local park for Usagi, who this time instead of being late, missed the senshi meeting entirely. And it had even been with the Outers, and Usagi, or as they knew her, Serena, had promised to be on time. So for an entire hour, the conflicting senshi had to bear eachothers presence.  
  
"Calm down, Rei, I'm sure she just got sidetracked, is all." Ami soothed, trying to keep the angry fire senshi from going stark raving mad as she stalked through the park in her search for their princess.  
  
"That's no excuse!!!She promised that she'd be there and on time, and this time, I'm holding her to it!!" The outers trailed them, not so much angry as worried about what could have happened to Serena. They had split up, then banded back together and were now headed for the one place they hadn't checked. The stream.  
  
When they reached the little wooden bridge that crossed the brook that cut through the park, they found what they were looking for, in a way. Serena was sitting on the edge of the newly re-stained wood, left foot tucked under the knee of the other leg, right foot, or rather, toes, dangling in the clear water. Her baggy jeans were rolled up to mid calf, and her face was tilted to the warm sun as she leaned back, eyes closed, supporting herself with her hands. She looked so magical there, with the dark green trees lined along the edge of the water, the sun shining down and bouncing reflections off of the water, alone on an old bridge. Rei charged right up to her, and stood, hands on hips, murderous look upon her face. Serena seemed to not pay any attention, but in reality, she was aware of everybody that was there.  
  
"Odango Atama!!!!!! What in hell are you doing?!?! You completely missed our meeting!!" Rei yelled, twice as angry as before, spurred by Serena not acknowledging her presence.  
  
"I know." Was the only answer given. Serena was still just sitting on the bridge, eyes closed, facing the sun.  
  
"Why, then?!?!"  
  
"I was thinking."  
  
"About what? What could you possily have to think about that couldn't be done at the meeting; you don't pay attention, anyway!!!" Serena opened her eyes, giving Rei a hard look, then gave a bit more of an acceptable answer.  
  
"I was trying to figure out how I was going to tell you that I've been lying to you for the past three years and that I'm leaving."  
  
"What do you mean, Koneko?" Haruka interjected. There were murmurs of assent to that question by everyone else.  
  
"Yeah, Serena, what's up?" Minako asked.  
  
Cringing at the name 'Serena', Serena spoke. "First off, my name isn't even Serena. I am Usagi. The Tsukino's are not my parents, they took me into foster care three years ago to date, and allowed me to adopt their name for the time being. I remember nothing of my real parents or last name, or of my life before the age of four. I was found lying in a field somewhere, and taken in by an old man." Then, having told all that she could truthfully tell them, she fabricated a few more lies. "Eventually he became inable to take care of either me other his grandson, so he had me put into foster care when I was thirteen. I came here, and met all of you, well after I had changed my name. I was never in love with Mamoru, and as you all know, I broke it off with him two weeks ago."  
  
"So, all that we know about you has been a lie?" Michiru asked, incredulous.  
  
"Yes. It eventually bacame hard to bear, the guilt and wish to be myself started to get to me, and though told since an early age to bury my emotions, somehow, you all burrowed your ways into my heart, and that is why I am telling you the truth, even though I shouldn't, before I leave."  
  
"Why are you leaving?" Ami inquired. "Where to to?"  
  
"Because I want to, I need to. I miss the man who raised me, and Hii- kun, his grandson. I miss getting into fights with them and all the other people who sometimes came to visit. I want to know who I am, and how I got to that field. I need to know what happened after I left, what is going on, if Jay is even still alive, old as we was, how Hii-chan is, he was my best friend. I think that if I'm going to find out who I am, I need to go back to the beginning, where I was found. I have too, and most of all, I *want* to. I can never be happy without having my childhood friend with me again. We knew each other practically inside out, and I have to tie up all of these loose ends. You may not understand, but I hope that you can at least try to."  
  
"So, Se- Usagi-san, will we ever see you again?" Makoto questioned, looking hurt and saddened.  
  
Usagi smiled sadly. "I would like Usa-chan better. I still love all of you, and hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. I do still want to be your friend, but that is up to you. And I don't know, Mako- chan. I honestly can't say for sure. For all I know, my plane could crash tonight. Nothing is ever sure in life, minna-san. Remember that, for I know that you all think that Fate and Destiny control every aspect of your life, but that is true only if you let it be. It i my personal belief that they only set you in a direction, the rest is up to you, and if you take the correct one of the paths that branch to and from your road, then all will be well. Ones life is not ruled unless it is allowed to be so." The wisdom with which Usagi spoke belied their experiences with the ditzy, flippant Serena. But she still wanted to be friends. that granted them some reassurance and a smidgen of happiness. Usagi sighed, then spoke again, this time looking over into the water at her reflection.  
  
"This isn't even how I look. When I changed my appearace to this, I did it with my magic. At that time, I had no clue *how* I could change my appearance at will, and several other odd things that happened to me, all I knew as that I could. just before I got on my plane to come here, I created perhaps one of my biggest lies, my looks." She stood up from the bridge, and a slightglow appeared around her, beginning her change back to her real self.  
  
The senshi watched as she went from an average 5 feet 5 inches to a petite 5 feet 2 inches. Her hair became consierably shorter, reaching just past her shoulders and flickering to a beautiful shade of silver that, when the light struck it just right, had lavender and blue undertones. When she opened her eyes, they had changed from bright cerulean blue to midnight blue flecked with silver. Her face and form, all together, became more delicate and refined, causing her to look incredibly fragile, like a china doll. Her shirt and jeans were now far to baggy on her, so she changed them to smaller sizes of the same outfit. Her feet were smaller, and instead of looking soft and rounded, muscle tone was apparent in her arms, abdomen, and even legs. The glow died down, and she spoke again.  
  
"In truth, I did, at one time, have bright blonde hair and light blue eyes, but that was when I was very young. Aroung my eighth year,my coloring changed to this." She paused for a moment. "I'm going to the airport now, I have a plane to catch. It would be nice if you would come with me." She smiled shyly, uncertain of what they would think of her now.  
  
It was Hotaru who snapped everybody out of their stupor by acquiesing. "Of course, Usagi-chan. Do you really think that we'd just desert you like that?" There was much agree ment to Hotaru's last question.  
  
"I have to admit, though," Rei said as they all walked down the street "this is going to take some getting used to. You'll call us when we get there, right Odango Atama? Oi, I can't even call you that anymore!" She laughed, referring to Usagi's newly shortened hair that just fell loosely around her face.  
  
"You'd be even more weirded out if I had continued to trim it while I was here. It used to be nearly as short as Haruka's!!" Everybody looked kind of freaked out at this admittance.  
  
"I just can't picture you like that." Minako commented. "It's hard enough to take in your new look as it is. Don't scare us anymore!!!"  
  
An hour or so later, as the plane was climbing in altitude, Uagi thought to herself. //I am so luccky to have them as friends.//  
  
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REVIEW, Dahlin's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	10. Reverie

Konnichiwa, minna-san!!!!! Hehe, long time, no see, huh?? I'm so happy!!!! If you give me 10 reviews for this chappie, I'll break the 100 mark!!!!! Can we try for that, PLEASE?????? If you guys give me lots and lots of reviews, I'll be really happy, and happy authors write more!!!!! Please, dahlin's??? Look, I'm on my knees, begging you!!!!!!  
  
Anyhoozles, this chappie wil cover some of the big events that happened when Hiiro and Usagi were growing up. And, some small events that meant too much to be called small. You may find it tedious and boring for me to be covering so much of the past, but I believe that without knowing the past, the present and future are maeningless. Usagi and Hiiro's relationship has built over many years, many trials, tribulations, hard times and tender moments. Without understanding that, A depiction of a real, true love cannot be accurately portrayed.  
  
Furthermore, Usagi is not going to jump into Hiiro's arms the second she sees him and declare her undying love. They're both scared of their feelings, and unsure if thair affections will be returned, and therefore unwilling to risk destroying their friendship. Usagi figures that she took a big enough chance when she kissed Hiiro before she left, and doesn't plan on pushing much farther. She's not an insane stalker like Ririna. Hiiro is confused, having been taught to hide his emotions deep within him, so that they cannot be found, and therefore uncertain of what he feels, how to deal with it, what to do, how he should act, what he should say, and most of all, how she would react. He thinks that he's only supposed to care for Usagi as a friend, a little sister at most, but his feelings run much deeper than that, and he's embarrassed and scared of that. Neither remembers that they were lovers in the Silver Millennium, as Hiiro has no recollection whatsoever of it, and Usagi's memory has been played with, tinkered with, screwed up, and drug around for so long that all she knows is that Mamoru/Endymion wasn't who she was in love with, but she doesn't know who was. And nobody can tell her, since only Fate and Destiny knew after her. She knows that she loves Hiiro, though and feels that if he can't remember who she loved in the Silver Millenium, she might as well not try and move on. She also can't tell which of her memories is real or not, having had her mind so played with and plagued with false memories, dreams, visions, and other things that she can hardly sort through it all. Her mind is a big jumble in need of severe housecleaning, but she hardly has the time or patience yet.  
  
I'm going to quit rambling now, and continue.  
  
Disclaimer: The usual.  
  
~*~~*~~*~ ~*~~*~~*~ ~*~~*~~*~  
  
Hiiro mentally groaned. He and the other boys had been called to Preventors Headquarters, and were currently sitting in Lady Une's office, waiting for her to show up, and he was bored out of his mind. He was also annoyed. The three-year mark had passed last week, and he had heard nothing from his Chibi-chan. She was perfectly skilled enough to hack into his computer and find his e-mail address and cell phone number. He'd made sure of that. He was also sure that she could take care of herself, but that didn't stop him from worrying about her, ever since they were children. They had gone through the roller-coaster of life together, and for that, she was always on his mind. So many memories.....  
  
~~~Flashback~~~  
  
A young Hiiro and Usagi sat in a tree, he about 9 years old, she about 6. "Ne, Hii-chan?" Usagi asked, not looking at him.  
  
"Hai??"  
  
"Can we be friends forever?" Hiiro blinked at this question. Why did she even have to ask?  
  
"Hai. Of course."  
  
"Yatta!!! Arigato, Hii-chan!!" She smiled happily. He smiled back, small and shyly.  
  
"We better go back, it's getting dark."  
  
"Kay!!!" Hiiro jumped out of the tree, closely followed by his friend and comrade. They took off running towards a dark building that loomed ahead of them. Hurriedly, Usagi tried to catch up to Hiiro, who was several paces ahead of her. Her short, six-year-old legs couldn't carry her as well as if she was as tall as Hiiro. The next thing she knew, she felt her foot catch on something, then she was face-down in the dirt, her ankle throbbing painfully. "Ugh. I think I sprained my ankle, Hii-chan." Her tone conveyed no actual pain, merely stating a fact.  
  
Hiiro ran back to her, then lifted her, one arm under her back, the other under her knees. From there, he carried her back to the building in the distance. Anyone witnessing this event would suffer one of those uncontrollable little smiles that one makes when seeing something cute. Usagi had rested her head on Hiiro's chest, one arm resting on his shoulders, listening to his steady heartbeat as he walked, being careful to to run and possibly hurt her more. A gentle, tranquil smile graced her face and she sighed contentedly. Even as a six-year-old, she felt so comfortable in her best friend's arm, as if merely being in his presence made her feel stronger, like part of her torn soul had been mended.  
  
~~~End flashback~~~  
  
~~~Flashback~~~  
  
They were sparring hard, neither winning or losing, and both seemingly drawing from a bottomless wel of strength, speed, agility, and stamina. Dr. J. was monitering them every so often, slightly amazed at the sheer amount of time that his pupils had been fighting. Suddenly, the screen that allowed him to see what was going on and record it so that he could pick out weak areas later went black. When it wouldn't start up again, he simply turned to the viewing window. What he saw was most certainly shocking.  
  
Hiiro was officially freaked out, though it barely showed on his face. He and Usagi had been sparring, when suddenly she started to glow and he skittered away from her. A halo of white light burned around her, and her eyes rolled back, her body going rigid, an invisible wind blowing her golden hair that she had chopped off the week before. Gathering his courage, he slowly stepped closer to her, and stretched out his arm to stick his hand into the glow. He didn't know what he was expecting, but it had been to feel as if a warm, dry wind was blowing upward from Usagi's feet. Since it didn't harm him, he stepped completely into the aura, his hair starting to blow around, too. Suddenly, it died, and Usagi slumped forward to r knees, her eyes unfocused and almost completely closed. Her hair was silver now. And from what he could see of her eyes, they were much darker than before. He knelt in front of her, and pulled her limp body to his. As soon as he touched her, though, a blinding white flash filled the room and knocked them both out.  
  
~~~Flashback~~~  
  
They were racing at break-neck speed out of a base, Hiiro with a disk in his hand and Usagi with a folder full of papers that rustled in their mad dash. A gun shot rang out behind them, and Usagi ducked instinctively, practically flattening her body to the floor before immediately springing up again and continuing the escape. Hiiro was a few paces ahead of her, and pulled himself into the air duct first. She shoved the folder in his hands, then turned to fight the soldier coming at her. After a brief bout of hand- to-hand combat, the soldier quickly grabbed something at his side, and the next thing Hiiro saw was the soldier, who couldn't be much older than him, sink something into Usagi's side and twist it, then fall to the floor as Usagi delivered a hard kick to his head. She pulled the knife from her side, flipped the blade back in, and pocketed it, then allowed Hiiro, who was not particualarly worried, he knew she could take care of herself, to grab her hands and pull her up next to him.  
  
Out of the base and back at the hotel they were staying at, they were calmly walking down the hall, when, suddenly, Usagi stopped, and weaved a bit on her feet, before muttering "I think I'm gonna pass out now, Hii- chan." As she finished the sentence her eyes rolled back and she went limp, her head cracking on the floor as she landed. Hiiro was worried now. Picking her up, he tottered a little trying to adjust to the dead weight, and carried her to their room.  
  
He laid her out on one of the beds, then went over to his bag, which was stowed near the door in case they needed to leave quickly, and retrieved a bag of medical supplies. Returning to his friend's side, he pushed her dark tank top up a bit to reveal the wound. It seemed that the hadn't considered the length of the knife while in their rush. He pulled it from her pocket, and flipped the blade out. It was a good seven inches long, two inches wide, serrated, and it had been buried to it's hilt in Usagi's small body. Even a thirteen-year-old Hiiro knew that that was a dangerous wound. She had passed out from blood loss, and the wound needed to be closed and bangaged quickly. The only reason that she hadn't bled all over the place was that their clothes were made to absorb large amounts of fluid without it dripping on the ground and allowing the enemy to get blood samples, and from there, DNA structures, allowing them to be traced.  
  
Hiiro used four butterfly closures on the hole in Usagi's side before wrapping the top of her hips, above which the knife was placed then driven in at a downward diagonal, up to the bottom of her rib cage in two layers of gauze before changing her out of her blood-soaked top into one of his T- shirts, which, though he was not particularly large, was more than baggy enough on her to cover the bandaging. She didn't wake up throughout the entire ordeal.  
  
The next day, after Hiiro had brough the still-unconscious Usagi back to Dr. J., who expertly stitched up her oozing wound and changed the wrappings, he was told the long-lasting effect that it would have on her. It made little impact on Hiiro, as he didn't really understand such things and why they would be important, but to Usagi, when she eventually found out, after she awakened, it slightly saddened her, because she, at ten, was too young to really think about such things, but once she lost it, she wished she had it back. Due to the length of the blade, the twisting that had been done, her small frame, and the angle at which the knife had been driven, she was now physically incapable of ever having children.  
  
~~~End flashback~~~  
  
~~~Flashback~~~  
  
Twelve-year old Usagi was enjoying herself, he could tell. There was a bright sparkle in her eyes, her cheeks were flushed, her breathing had sped up slightly, and her entire body, the ay she held her self and smiled spoke volumes about her mood. Hiiro was the only person that could read her like that. Anyone would know that she was happy by the sunny smile on her face, but only Hiiro would notice the ever-so-slight increase in her respiration, and the fact that one of the fingers on her left hand was twitching slightly, a habit that she had picked up from him. When Hiiro was bored or annoyed, his right index finger, his trigger-finger, twtiched. After being around him for eight years, Usagi had gradually started doing it herself, though she rarely noticed, and when she did, she laughed and blamed it on her Hii-chan.  
  
That day, being the Hiiro that he was with Usagi, he had taken her to a carnival in the Sanq Kingdom capital. It was crowded, and he hated to be surrounded by so many people, but it was the eighth anniversary of the day he had found Usagi in her meadow, and on that day, Usagi got to do everything she wanted. He could tell that she wanted to go to a carnival for the first time in her life by the odd, slightly wistful expression that she wore for a moment when they had passed by the busy center of activity on their first day in the city.  
  
She did not exactly revel in having so many people pressing around her either, but she did not mind quite as much as Hiiro did. Her main focus was the rides and games, and she paid little attention to the hordes passing her and sweeping her along in their current, as if they were a human river. She was going to have some fun.  
  
That evening, returning to the house that Dr. J. had secured, Usagi carried a large stuffed bear that she had let Hiiro win for her, though she could have done it herself. It was so funny in her opinion. Hiiro had knocked down all of the jugs, and when the voluptuous woman running the booth gave him the bear and winked at him, he blushed ever-so-slightly, only enough that Usagi would notice, and mumbled something as he turned to Usagi and presented it to her. She hid a grin and snicker by pressing her face into the soft fur of her new acquirement and stole a look at Hiiro, eyes sparkling with mirth. They stopped at her bedroom door first, as Hiiro always made sure that she was safely in her room before retiring to his. She smiled at him, and he turned to go. He was halfway down the hall when she had a sudden change of mind, and, setting the bear down, dashed after him. She caught him by the elbow and he turned, and she smiled again, this time shyly, and, standing on her toes, pecked him on the cheek. "Arigato, Hii-chan."  
  
Hiiro's eyes widened almost imperceptably. She had never done *that* before. "Hn. Anything for you, Chibi." For once, she didn't smack him for using the nickame that she so reviled. She merely smiled softly again, hugged him and went back to her room. Hiiro stood motionless in the hall for a while after that. As much as he tried to, he couldn't push down the fact that he had felt something when she had kissed him, even though it was just an innocent peck on the cheek. He also felt disgusted with himself for that. He kept mentally yelling at himself that he was fifteen, she was twelve, it was *wrong* for him to feel like that. Finally, awakening from his shock and reverie, he turned and went to his room.  
  
Dr. J., having witnessed the entire thing, half-smiled. He could only feel happy for his students, in fact, he was quite near being ecstatic. Usagi had taken to considering him as a grandfather, even going so far as to call him "jii-san", so he was pleased that his adoptive granddaughter and his prize student were slowly but surely falling in love. But it also brought him pain and sadness. The worst lash of the war with OZ was coming soon, and he could not risk Hiiro's concentration. They would have to be seperated. But, not until he found somewhere that he deemed worthy of being graced by his "granddaughter's" presence. It would be a while yet.  
  
~~~End Flashback~~~  
  
His finger was twitching. It was the first time that Quatre had noticed it. He wondered if Hiiro's finger had always twitched like that, in such an irritating manner, and it had just gone unnoticed until that moment. He didn't know why it bothered him so, perhaps it was the severe case of boredom that he was trying to control and suppress. He also noticed that Hiiro had an odd, faraway expression on his face, unusual as the only emotions he ever showed were annoyance, anger, and his demand to be left alone, which was usually expressed with his gun, not his face. That was not the case at the moment. Hiiro looked almost sad, and at the same time amused.  
  
Hiiro didn't notice that his finger was twitching. He did notice, though, the weird stare that Quatre was giving him, and glared at him, making Quatre blush and return his attention to Duo and Wufei's arguing. Hiiro thought that, over the shouts from the braided one and his favorite person to antagonize, he heard Lady Une coming. She was saying something loudly, angrily, but he couldn't hear what.  
  
"Shut up!!" He barked. Immediately, everyone was quiet, and they could all hear Lady Une yelling at someone, getting ever closer.  
  
"But........ Do you really think that..... Aw, Hell, do whatever, you crazy old man!!!!" A moment later, the door swung open to reveal Dr. J., carrying a blindfolded girl, who had been complaining about being 'abducted in my sleep by my own jii-san.' Apparently the old man was stronger than he looked Duo whistled, the girl was hot, Quatre blushed, Wufei mumbled something about injustice and baka onnas, Trowa, as usual, didn't say anything. They all looked to Hiiro to see his reaction, and they nearly fainted. He stood, smirking, and he looked almost as if he was actually capable of laughter. Duo was shocked into silence, for which Wufei was grateful. Lady Une merely looked stunned that the Perfect Soldier actually wore an expression, however small it was.  
  
Looking directly at Hiiro, Dr. J. chuckled and said "Catch." He tossed the girl to Hiiro, who caught her effortlessly.  
  
"Grrrrr..... Alright, that's it!!! Jii-san, I'll have my revenge, you can be sure of it." Then, Even with her blindfold, she whacked Hiiro upside the head, and amazingly, he didn't immediately press his gun to her head. "Hiiro Yui!!! I am not a football!!!!! If you think that you have to catch me, you can at least put me down!!!!" By this time she was kicking half- heartedly, wanting to get out of his grip, but not wanting to hurt him.  
  
"Uhhhh.... How do you know that that's Hiiro, Miss?" Quatre asked.  
  
"More importantly, how do you *know* Hiiro?" Duo added. The girl ceased her struggle for moment, and answered them.  
  
"Heh, I'd know *this* baka anywhere. I've known him since I was about four, nad though he's grown considerably since I last saw him, I could recognize him if he painted himself blue and paraded around dressed like the Peacecraft Bitch. Oi, and I heard she was stalking you, Hii-chan!! That's gotta suck ass. Anyway, Buyo" She jerked her thumb it Hiiro "here found me and took me to Jii-san, or, as you know him, Dr. J." She then proceeded to give a mighty twist and tumbled from Hiiro's arms, where she had been so uncomfortable, since she wanted him so, and landed gracefully on her feet. She ripped the blindfold off, stuck her tongue out at Dr. J., sucker-punched Hiiro, and gave a self-satisfied smirk to the rest of the boys. "I could tell you things about him that you'd never guess in a million years, and all his habits, tendencies, and even embarassing stories."  
  
"Yeah!!!!" Duo cheered, wantin desperately for some dirt on the now not-so-perfect soldier.  
  
"But," Usagi added, "I'm too nice to do a thing like that!" She smirked again. "By the way, I'm Usagi, and I already know who all of you are." She then proceeded to ignore them and turn to Hiiro, engaging in what seemed to be a stare-down. Then, out of nowhere, she pouted. "Hii-chan."  
  
"Chibi." Duo fell out of his chair from hearing Hiiro using a pet name.  
  
"No fair!!!! You grew!!" Hiiro, when standing face-to-face with his best friend, could very easily tuck her head under his chin with room to spare. Enough room, in fact, that his chin would rest on the crown of her head, and he would be stooping slightly, even though Hiiro had no plans of ever doing such a thing..  
  
"Hn. (translation: You did, too.)"  
  
Usagi ran a delicate hand through her hair, sighing, and replied. "Whatever. I just wanna go home now." Understanding that home to her was wherever he was, he looked at Quatre, who nodded, dumbfounded.  
  
"Come on." With that, he grabbed her arm and was halfway to the door before she wrenched her arm free and followed in willingly. When they were gone, Everyone turned to Dr. J., who had been standing by the door wearin an indulgent, amused smile. Sensing the eyes on him, he shrugged. "They've been separated for three years and a week." Then, obviously refraining from saying something else, left.  
  
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Review, please!!!!!!!!! I think this is longer than usual, hopefully it illicits some more reviews. 


	11. The Million Dollar Question, of sorts

Ossu, minna-san!!!!!! Long time, no see, huh? Well, I'll give you the short version of my predicament: First my parents upgraded to Windows XP, which saves documents in a format the Fanfiction.net doesn't accept, and then the ended up "accidentally" wiping the hard drive several times and having to re-install EVERYTHING!!!! I was so mad, especially since they deleted about 20 hours of music, and several hundred of my photos. I now have to re- download everything, and start my photo collection over, again. ~*~sigh~*~ Oh, well, Life goes on. I had my rant. Anyway, this chapter may be a bit shorter than usual, but I'll be updating more often from now on, especially if my parents stop messing with my baby (computer). Well, let's hope this program I'm writing in works, and that ya'll review!  
  
Disclaimer: Same old, same old.  
  
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Usagi woke to the sound of someone laughing there head off, feet running, enraged yelling, and occasional screams of "Not the braid!!! Anything but my baby!!! Well, maybe not *anything*, but not my braid!!!!!" She groaned slightly, and shifted. Turning her head to the left, she grabbed hold of the small clock on the bedside stand and blearily read the displayed numbers. 5:48. The small girl blinked, rubbed her eyes, and pushed herself up off of her bed and was thankful that the floor was covered with a thick, plush carpet, keeping her feet from the shock of cold tiles. She padded across the room to her knapsack and grabbed a change of clothes and shoes.  
  
After her shower, she brushed her hair, considered cutting it again, then decided against it and divided it into two braids on either side of her head. She pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans, and an oversized racing T- shirt that Haruka had given her. She ignored her shoes, and set to finding the dining room. Given her keen sense of hearing, she was able to follow the boy's voices with relative ease and soon found herself leaning on a doorway, holding back her laughter at Duo's antics. Hiiro was engrossed in his laptop, Quatre and Trowa were quietly laughing, or smirking, in Trowa's case, at Duo and Wufei, and Wufei was angrily yelling at Duo. Quatre was the first to notice the mysterious girl that he couldn't help but be intrigued by.  
  
"Miss Usagi, please join us." At his words, the entire room went quiet, and Hiiro actually looked up from his computer, fixing her with a piercing stare. Usagi flushed and shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"Just Usagi is fine, Quatre-san." She settled herself between Wufei and Hiiro.  
  
"Injustice! I will not sit next to an onna!!!" Wufei immediately yelled.  
  
"Shut up, Wufei." Hiiro growled. Everybody seemed slightly surprised that he had spoken, but they let it go for the moment. "I'm bored," Duo said, all of a sudden. "Let's go somewhere, like the park or something."  
  
"We could go up to the lake." Quatre suggested.  
  
"Or we could just stay here." Wufei crossly added.  
  
"We're going to the meeting Ririna demanded." Hiiro stated matter-of-factly amidst a sea of groans.  
  
"Do we have to go, Hiiro-chan?" Usagi pouted.  
  
"Hai." This answer only served to cause Usagi to scrunch up her nose and sulk.  
  
The group decided to split into two parties to make the ride easier, and agreed to separate Duo and Wufei. So, Hiiro, Usagi, and Duo took Usagi's oversized truck, and Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei took a smaller car. Five minutes into the trip, Duo was snoring loudly in the backseat, so Hiiro took the chance to ask something that he'd been meaning to ask for a long while.  
  
"Why?" Usagi turned to him, confused.  
  
"Why what?" she inquired in return.  
  
"Don't play dumb with me, Usa. I know you're smarter than that and you know exactly what I'm talking about." Usagi flinched. She'd expected this matter to come up, but she should have steeled herself to it better. "Why'd you kiss me before you left?"  
  
Usagi bit her lip before answering. "Well, Hiiro, I-"  
  
~*~~*~~*~  
  
~*~evil laughter~*~ Well, will she, or won't she?? You'll have to tune in next time to find out!!!!!!!!!! 


	12. Tension, Memories, and A softer side

Mwahahahahahahaha!!!!! It seemed that you all hated my cliffie!! I think that's a good thing; it means that for some reason, you actually like to read my story! But you never told me whether or not Usa-chan should tell on herself, so I'm gonna do what I want! Lol.. Some of you will like this; some of you will hate it. And I'm sorry if I'm a bit pissy for a while. The thought of the war with Iraq really gets under my skin. If you care to know why, e-mail me, but I don't think you really care, so I'll just leave you with my declaration that if Bush gets re-elected, I'm moving to Canada!!!! But, I regress. This is not a political discussion, so I think I'll shut up and write the chappie.  
  
Disclaimer: Blah.  
  
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That evening, Hiiro glared even harder at his laptop than usual. He was pissed for some reason, and pissed at himself for being pissed in the first place. It wasn't as if he knew what he expected, or rather, wanted her to say. But for some reason, he didn't like her answer. He growled slightly, and the other boys in the living room regarded him warily, even Duo was trying to avoid upsetting him even further. Seated next to Quatre, Duo spoke quietly. "Is it just me, or has Hii-man been even more death-glare- ish than usual ever since we went to that meeting?"  
  
"It's not just you. Either that, or we're all round the bend all together."  
  
Growling once more, and giving a glare that, if looks could kill, would have caused the entire universe to spontaneously go "BOOM!", Hiiro shut down his laptop and left. Flopping onto his bed, he calmed, and began to wonder what was wrong with him. He was being incredibly stupid.  
  
Across the house, Usagi sighed as she gazed sadly at the night sky from her balcony. It had seemed right at the time, so why did she feel so brainless now? The cold bit through her thin night shirt and raised Goosebumps on her bare legs and arms, but she made no effort to move. Hiiro's room was down a floor and over from her, she could see the light on and the shadow moving over the ground outside. She bit her lip. He hadn't reacted either way to her explanation, and she couldn't tell what he thought for once. It seemed that though they had been so close before, there was now a huge rift between them. A tear trickled down her cheek. It was all her fault. If only she hadn't done it in the first place, it wouldn't be so hard now, and she and Hiiro could still be friends, no matter how much she wanted more. If only she hadn't had that moment of weakness; she and Hiiro would still be practically attached at the hip. But she went and fucked everything up, twice now.  
  
~*~~*~~*~ Flashback ~*~~*~~*~  
  
Well, Hiiro, I, well, that is, it was a mistake. I was being stupid and childish. I kissed you because I couldn't say goodbye. So I just..laid one on ya, and left. I'm sorry if it upset you. I didn't intend to. I was just thirteen, and maybe I had some sort of puppy-crush on you, but I'd just rather forget about it. Okay?"  
  
"Yeah, fine." He seemed okay with it, still cold, but she suspected that it would take a while for him to open up to her again, anyway. A lot had changed in three years. For some reason, though, he looked slightly more irritable than usual. The rest of the ride was spent in an uncomfortable silence, punctuated only by Duo's snores, as Usagi debated within herself whether she should have told the truth, and Hiiro wondering why he felt so angry.  
  
They pulled to a sharp stop, causing the boy in the back to do a face plant on the front seat, and wake up whining about his precious nose. He shut up when he saw how his buddy and new comrade were acting. Their body language altogether gave off a strong impression that something big, and uncomfortable had happened. They were putting as much distance between themselves as possible, and Hiiro looked slightly stonier than usual. Usagi was drawn into herself, arms crossed over her abdomen, shoulders slightly brought in, and the fact that they never looked at each other or him brought Duo into the thick tension in the air. He looked uncertain, and decided not to say anything.  
  
Before stepping out, he saw a definite mask go up for Usagi. Her chin went up; she uncrossed her arms, and set her shoulders with determination. She brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and stepped out with a smile painted on her face so well that people would have to look *very* hard to determine that it was fake. She seemed fine to the others, but how weirded out Duo was gave them a clue that all was not as well as it seemed. Hiiro followed, looking emotionless, as usual.  
  
~*~~*~~*~ End Flashback ~*~~*~~*~  
  
Grimacing, Usagi chewed on her lip some more, then yawned and fell asleep against the railing of the balcony.  
  
Back in Hiiro's room, the stoic boy was laying in his bed, not even trying to sleep. For some reason, he felt sick to his stomach all of a sudden, and he felt increasingly uneasy with each passing moment. Finally, he gave up, sighed, and rose. Something was amiss, he just had a gut feeling. Pulling on his jeans, he left his room and walked. It was past midnight, and as he cracked open all of the other boys' doors, he found them all safely asleep, or meditating. With the realization that it was none of his male comrades, his uneasiness multiplied, and his stomach wrenched when he grasped the fact that it had to be Usagi. 'Damnit!!!' his mind screamed at him, and he took off running up the extensive stairs and down the many halls.  
  
Pausing outside her door, he contemplated the idea that if she was okay, she'd kick his ass for waking her, as she was a very light sleeper. Giving in to his instincts, he quietly opened the door enough to see in, and further when he discovered that Usagi was not in her bed. Not seeing her anywhere in the room, he walked in, and knocked on the bathroom door. No answer, so he opened that door. She wasn't there, either. Just as he was starting to panic inwardly, a breeze from a partially opened window fluttered the curtains in front of the glass sliding doors to the balcony enough for him to see a pale foot.  
  
Fearing the worst, he pushed the curtain away to sigh in relief to discover that she wasn't covered in blood, only to realize that she had fallen asleep, and, taking in her slightly quivering, blue lips, her eyelashes frozen shut, and the lack of any color in her, he realized that she was hypothermic, and must have been incredibly upset by something to be careless enough to fall asleep in the cold. Sighing as he decided that it was probably his fault, for being such a jerk, he pushed the door open and first nudged her to see if she would wake up on her own, and when she didn't, he knelt next to her and picked her up, princess-style.  
  
He never ceased to be amazed at how small and light she seemed when he held her. How much he wanted to protect her and keep her in his arms forever, but at the same time had an irrational wish to run as far and as fast from her as he could, as if he could wash himself of her and keep himself safe from how easily she could hurt him. She somehow had that effect on him. With only a word, or action, she could either send him flying, or leave him bleeding on the floor. As he carried her back into the warmth, she came to enough to moan slightly and bury her face into his shoulder. Then, she whimpered and mumbled something under her breath. As he laid her in her bed, she refused to let go of him, so he laid down next to her, and held her as she was pulled into a nightmare. Tears coursed down her pretty face as she dreamed.  
  
"Kaa-san? Where are you Kaa-san? Why is it dark? Daddy!! Daddy, save me, they're coming to get me! Daddy. Where did you go? Where's Onii-chan? And Go-chan? I'm scared.. Where am I?" Hiiro pulled her tightly to him, watching her face regain some color, and her eyes open slightly, and she sobbed into the crook between his neck and shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shivered. "I saw them, Hiiro. I saw my family. And now, I miss them so much!!!!" He just rubbed her back and shoulders and kissed her forehead.  
  
"Why don't you tell me about them?" She sniffled, and bit her lip.  
  
"I can only tell you what little I remember. Kaa-chan, she was, well, she was something else. She was very strict about my studies, and that's why when you found me I was so advanced in everything. She didn't want me fighting, like my brothers did; she wanted to have a normal little girl who would detest fighting and sweat and the smell of it. I couldn't be what she wanted, though. And my brothers, they were a lot like my dad. Gohan was about twenty when I was born, and Goten was nine, I think. Gohan was married, and his daughter, Pan, was almost six months older than me. Bra was the youngest child of Bulma's, and I think she was younger than me, her brother, Trunks, was a year older than Goten, and their dad was Vegeta, who was as arrogant as Wufei, Bulma was an old friend of the family, and there were lot's of others that I can't name. My Tou-chan, he was sweet and clueless. He was a great fighter, too, and my brothers followed after him. I was a Daddy's girl through and through, and he seemed to like that. I think it was something about how he wasn't around much for my brothers, so he tried to make up for it with me. And then, I woke up in a field here."  
  
"It'll be okay. I'm sure that you can find them again." He whispered as Usagi started to cry again.  
  
"Just.. Stay with me tonight. Please."  
  
"...Okay." And with an unspoken truce, Usagi fell asleep in Hiiro's arms, and Hiiro quickly followed her. There were no more nightmares that night.  
  
~*~~*~~*~ ~*~~*~~*~ ~*~~*~~*~ Well, Whadda ya think? Review and tell me, kay? When I get ten reviews, I'll update again. Oh, and what do you think should happen concerning Usa's family? You tell me? 


	13. Ooh ouch!

.. Well, I finally got all the reviews I wanted, so here's the next chapter! ^_^ This time I have no reason to apologize, as I warned you that It takes a lot to get me to update before I get ten or more reviews! I stick to my word very well, thank you.  
  
^_^ Misty H: I don't think I've ever been so flattered in my life! Thank you, and you're absolutely right, I do really care about what I write; it's like putting my thoughts, feelings, and imagination into words. And though it's emotionally and physically draining at times, its reviewers like you who keep me writing. Thanks again.  
  
Disclaimer: same old, same old. No matter how much I beg an plead with the anime gods, they still won't grant me ownership of my beloved shows, so unless you are an anime god and hear my plea, I do not own GW or SM or DBZ. T_T Yet, anyway.  
  
ATTENTION: -_- As much as I hate to quit my whole, dragging-it-out thing, This chapter is what you've all been waiting for. Kind of. But not quite. (T_T) I feel such a sense of loss! Well, I don't know about how good of a scene it will be, but bear with me, I'm not very comfortable with such stuff.  
  
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Quatre wondered where Hiiro was; he usually was up far earlier than he and the rest of the pilots. Duo had some hare-brained idea that Hiiro had stolen the circus right out from under Trowa, and ran away with it. Sometimes he had to wonder at that boy's logic, or, more accurately, lack thereof. So, he set to searching his expansive estate for his comrade, quite a daunting task, admittedly, but with the Maguanacs and his other friends, he would find Hiiro, though it might take quite some time. Now that he thought of it, Usagi was gone, too, but he didn't know her well enough to judge whether or not such a thing was normal for her.  
  
Meeting in the last wing left unsearched, He, Trowa and Duo were checking rooms when they finally hit the right door. Duo looked as if Christmas had come early, and opened his mouth to make a loud, and likely rude, comment that would surely wake such a light sleeper as Hiiro. Quatre quickly clapped a hand over Duo's mouth, but drew back in disgust a split-second later. "You *licked* me!" he hissed, shaking his hand as if it were on fire. Duo grinned stuck his tongue out before running.  
  
"I bet you don't mind when Trowa does it!" He shot back as he dashed out the door, Leaving Quatre to blush insanely, and Trowa to look absolutely mortified before he regained his ever-present grace and composure, marred only by a murderous glint to his eyes. Shortly thereafter, they gave chase on the Braided One.  
  
After they left, Hiiro groaned minutely. He would *never* be able to get Duo to shut up about this one.  
  
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It was rather like trying to swim in concrete, Usagi's process of waking up. She slowly struggled into consciousness, but it was several moments before she could fully force her eyes open and blinking, she flinched at the glare of light from her window. Within seconds, her vision panned to Hiiro, awake next to her, arms around her waist, just staring at her. Despite her best efforts, a faint blush rose to Usagi's cheeks, causing her friend to smirk smugly. She dimly remembered the fever that had engulfed her in the middle of the night, after nearly freezing to death, and she had become so delirious that she completely spilled her guts to Hiiro, admitting everything.  
  
"So... Were you just really out of it, or was there a grain of truth somewhere in your confession?" He asked, as if he already knew the answer, which he probably did.  
  
~~Flashback~~  
  
Hiiro awoke with a start at the sound of a pained moan next to him. Usagi looked flushed, and she was sweating, but shivering at the same time. He briefly touched his lips to her forehead, but jerked away, startled, when he felt that she was burning up. At his touch her eyes opened, glassy with fever. "Hii-chan?"  
  
"Hai, Usa, I'm here." He soothed, rubbing her back. She snuggled closer to him, making small sounds of contentment.  
  
"Can you see the pretty colors?" She asked as innocently as a child. He nearly fell out of the bed.  
  
"Colors?"  
  
"Mm-hmm.. They're all over the place, so pretty." At this statement, Hiiro knew that her fever was higher than he had thought, and tried to pull away briefly to get her some medicine, put she whimpered pitifully and shivered with cold, so he laid still, hesitant, to not get her something that would help, but unwilling to upset her. So they remained silent for several more moments, and before Usagi drifted off to sleep again, she mumbled something, slurred with exhaustion and fever, but soundly suspiciously like something he'd wanted her to say for quite some time. "Aishiteru." He shot wide-awake at that, having been in a hazy state of comfortable haziness until then, and remained that way for the rest of the night, or morning, as it were, trying to decide what to do with this revelation.  
  
~~End Flashback~~  
  
"Umm.. Well, you see.." She started, before giving up entirely and nodding. "Yeah. it was true."  
  
"There, now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He semi-joked. He sobered when he saw her biting her lip, not meeting his eyes. He had left her vulnerable, he saw, having exposed probably her sorest secret, and he had laughed. "Hey." he started, but she didn't let him finish.  
  
"I've gotta go." She said, and wrenched herself from his grasp and ran as fast as she could out of the room.  
  
"Shit. I've really done it this time." He groaned, before punching the pillow.  
  
~*~~*~~*~  
  
Usagi, though clad only in her nightshirt, marched resolutely through the mansion, intent on getting out and finding some peace, where, she could think. Tears burned at her eyes, but she angrily brushed them away, refusing to allow herself to show weakness. A sharp ache filled her, mixed with both anger and depression. She stared at her feet, not watching where she was going, and so crashed into a grinning Duo, who grabbed her elbows and whisked her light frame into the music room easily. She could sense that they were all there, Duo, Quatre, Wufei, and Trowa.  
  
"What is it?" she asked, just managing to keep her voice steady, surprising herself.  
  
The first comment issued was, of course, from Wufei. "Onna, what are you doing walking around in.. that?!" He gestured to her thigh-length nightshirt, which Duo seemed to be raptly enjoying. Quatre sighed exasperatedly at Wufei's inherent rudeness.  
  
"What we mean to ask, is: what's going on with you and Hiiro?"  
  
"Yeah, Afterall, you don't find Ole Hii-man in bed with a pretty girl everyday!" Duo energetically crowed. She raised he head enough to meet their eyes, and this time her voice didn't prove steady.  
  
"I--" her voice cracked "--I'd rather not talk about it." They could easily read the pain in her expression, and her expressive eyes didn't glitter with the usual happiness, but instead with tears. Quatre, at this point, became rather uncomfortable, but Duo, the most open and emotional of them all, understood, and patted her back.  
  
"Do you want us to tar and feather him for ya?" He asked, attempting to cheer her up.  
  
She gave a short, harsh, chuckle. "Though somewhat tempting, I think I'll have to decline that offer, Duo. But thanks for asking. Maybe some other time, but I'm not for revenge, just pranks." Duo wolf-whistled.  
  
"Just my kind of woman! Hiiro really is fucked up to hurt a find like you! How'd he manage to get your affections, anyway? I could use some tips to attract gorgeous, funny, smart women. Man, some guys have all the luck and, of course, no sense to go with it!" This time he succeeded, and Usagi laughed, a silvery, musical sound that made them all want to hear it again. Then, spontaneously, she hugged Duo. "Whoa, what was that for, babe?"  
  
Now smiling, with only a hint of her sadness in her eyes, she answered. "You remind me of someone I once knew. And, thanks for cheering me up." Then she winked. "Don't worry, I'm sure that you have plenty of gorgeous women drooling after you, especially since you sure can pay a girl a compliment!" Quatre smiled gently at the display, then asked an unusual, and shocking question for him.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want us to tar and feather him? We can do worse, too, if you want!" Though, the rest of the pilots looked at him oddly, Usagi laughed again,, and declined.  
  
"I'm sure. Afterall, it's not as if he *hates* me or something. I know that, deep down, somewhere, he cares for all of us. I've known him for 12 years, so I think I can be pretty accurate there. He just. doesn't care for me the way that I want him too. That's too bad, but there *are* other fish in the sea!"  
  
"So, this person I remind you of, I hope it's not bad!" Duo commented light- heartedly.  
  
"I dunno.. Afterall, he did pour paint on my head, but then, he apologized profusely and tried to make it up to me. And of course, I milked it for all it was worth! Duo, you remind me of Trunks, my onee-san's best friend. And my onee-san, too, sort of. So it's not bad."  
  
"Whew! Well, that's a relief!" Duo sighed overdramatically.  
  
"I was under the impression that you couldn't remember your family." Trowa said, unexpectedly.  
  
"I couldn't until last night. I was stupid and fell asleep on the balcony, and though, luckily, Hiiro saved my ass, once again, I got sick, and had a nightmare, where I remembered all of my family and friends, but they were so far away... I can clearly see all their faces in my head now, and it's both a relief, and a pain to have the memories back. Because now I miss them, especially my Otou-san so much, that it almost makes me wish that I didn't remember."  
  
"You should tell us about them sometime." Wufei added, so that nobody could accuse him of freezing the fragile girl out.  
  
"I will, sometime. And maybe, if I, by some grace of god, get lucky enough to see them again, I'll introduce you in person. But I'll warn ya, they're a riot, and I somehow think that you and Uncle Veggie-chan would get along very well."  
  
And with laughter and stories, the boys helped to dull the acute pain that she had felt only moments before. The joy of new friendships pushed the trouble with Hiiro to the back of her mind.  
  
~*~~*~~*~ ~*~~*~~*~ ~*~~*~~*~ Well, I know that it wasn't exactly the declaration of love that you were hoping for, but this chapter, I was mainly focusing on building Usagi's friendship with the other boys. So don't kill me. Remember, I hate to be a bitch, but could I PLEASE get at least ten reviews for this chapter? You have no idea how much sleep I lost just in writing this thing, on a school night! It's 12:49, and I have to get up at 6! T_T Please? 


	14. Locked

Ok, ppls. I realize I've been gone for a *long* time. I was quite busy over the summer, as I got involved in an exchange program, that kept me busy, then went to Japan for a while, then moved. Across an entire continent. And now, things are just starting to settle down enough that I can write. I admit, I was disappointed that my last chapter didn't get as many reviews as I had hoped. But since this chapter is long overdue, I'm writing it anyway. So, to fergiaj, jen, Kallista Starshooter, angel313, sippio, and softball chick, my thanks.  
  
Note: In re-reading this story, I've noticed *tons* of mistakes and plot holes, so shortly, I will be re-vamping, and replacing every chapter with its fixed version. Check back in a few weeks if you want to read it. I now have a definite end and epilogue(/prologue to sequel? Maybe.) but yeah. it won't be for a while, the ending.  
  
So, just for the slight probability: I may (or may not) include a lemon in this story (If I ever manage the guts.) Do tell me what you think.  
  
Disclaimer: Same old.  
  
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*RRRRRIIIIIINGGGG* Usagi jerked awake to the sound of her cell phone. Snatching the tiny thing off the desk and answered, after checking the caller ID. "Jii-san?" She croaked, voice rough from sleep.  
  
"Hai. We need you and the other pilots to meet us at the old consulate building."  
  
The delicate girl cleared her throat, and coughed several times. "Sure thing."  
  
"Are you all right?" Dr. J. sounded worried.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, you just woke me up, is all."  
  
"Alright. See you soon." The line went dead. Usagi stretched quickly before getting dressed. She stowed her cell phone in her jeans pocket, and made her way to Quatre and Trowa's room. Fully awake by now, she rapped sharply on the rather thick door.  
  
Poking his tousled head out, Quatre blinked sleepily at her. "Can I help you Usagi?"  
  
"Yeah, Dr. J. called. He wants us all at the old consulate building as soon as possible."  
  
"Ok, be out in a minute." Quatre's head disappeared from sight, and Usagi set to waking Wufei, which was easy, and Duo, which was harder, but manageable once she promised food. Hiiro joined the group silently. And they left.  
  
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Dr. J. tossed a tan folder on the table. "This girl has attracted the attention of several terrorist groups. How, we don't know. What we do know though, is that we need to get her first, perhaps recruit her." Usagi was the first to grab the folder. She flipped through it until she came to a stats page. She froze at the picture, the eyes that stared back out of the small, grainy photo.  
  
"No." She threw the folder back on the table.  
  
"What do you mean, 'no'? She has to be captured, or she will be at the disposal of terrorists." Dr. J. replied levelly.  
  
"Hn.. We can take her in, but she will *not* be recruited. Is that much understood?"  
  
"Why not? If she is skilled enough to attract attention, she may be an asset to us."  
  
"I don't care. She will *not* be recruited."  
  
"Alright, no recruiting. Now explain."  
  
"I know this girl. And she has already seen too much in her life. I will not allow anyone to take away what little innocence she has left."  
  
"Really? Then maybe you can tell us her name, and why she's so wanted."  
  
At this Usagi gave a tight smile. "That's all up to her. To make this easier, I'll just arrange for her to meet us somewhere, she'll come willingly."  
  
"Alright"  
  
Usagi then pulled out her cell phone again, and dialed a number. "Hey, Taru. Yeah, it's me, the one and only." She laughed. "Sorry, I gotta keep this short, but can you meet me at our favorite spot? Okay, you need to bring some stuff, you're gonna have to leave with me. I'll be bringing a group of people with me. Yeah, you guessed it. Sucks to be you doesn't it?" She chuckled darkly. " I suppose it's to be expected. So, no you know part of what's going on, you know what do. Yeah. See you." She hung up. Duo cocked an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Friend of yours?"  
  
"Yeah." Usagi then smiled wistfully, before turning to leave.  
  
~*~~*~~*~  
  
Videl gasped, drawing her husband's attention. "I know where she is! I finally got a lock on her!"  
  
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Yayness. Kinda short, but I hope it's ok. Please review. 


	15. grin:: you've prolly been waiting for th...

O.O I've been gone loooooong time, haven't I? Well, if you care, sorries, if you don't, eh. ^^ I'm not gonna make this long, so let me get it over with. First, poll: Lemon or No lemon? Please tell me. Second, I realize that my plan for revamps has been delayed.. I promise to try and remedy that. That's about it for now. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to post it later.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters depicted herein, excepting the ones that I create. All characters are fictitious, any resemblance to any real person, living or dead, is incidental. No profit is being made by this.  
  
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As the pilots, all six of them, disembarked the jet that had taken them to Earth, they were surprised when Usagi led them to a red Ferrari parked in the front lot instead of catching a couple cabs. Usagi just gave them all a secretive smile, her over-large sunglasses hiding her eyes. "I lived here for three years." As if that explained it all. They climbed in, and she drove. Big. Mistake. Quatre looked a bit green within five minutes, and only Hiiro and Trowa seemed totally unaffected. Duo whined about his hair and it being windblown, and Wufei gripped his seat very tightly and looked rather ashen. They suddenly were glad of their seat belts when they came to a screeching halt outside a very large, very high-class, expensive-looking hotel.  
  
"Jesus Christ!" Duo exploded once they got out of the car, pointedly, in very much of a hurry. "Do you always drive like that?"  
  
"Pretty much, yeah." Usagi grinned, lifting her sunglasses to rest on top of her head. Duo just looked amazed. "Are you guys coming?" She called back, already halfway to the door. They followed her, slightly dazed.  
  
"Um, Miss Usagi?" Quatre tentatively asked.  
  
"Just Usagi, Quatre."  
  
"Right. Usagi?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Are you sure that you can afford this place?"  
  
"Don't have to. I know the owner."  
  
"Oh." She strode into the hotel lobby confidently, and quickly scanned the room. Another grin cracked her face immediately. "Looks like we're in luck. We won't have to ask after him, anyway." She fixed her sight on a tall, handsome blond man, took a deep breath, and bellowed. "Jadeite!" The man instantly turned and smiled. He crossed the room quickly, and scooped Usagi up and spun. Usagi laughed brightly, and wrapped her legs around his waist, ignoring Hiiro stiffening and glaring.  
  
"What are you doing here, little one?" He set her down, and proceeded to tower over her petite frame. "You look different."  
  
"No kidding. Like the hair? Stop towering, you bastard."  
  
"Well, it'll take some getting used to, but it's a lot less. dangerous. Really, such language, Usagi! I can't help it that you're short." Jadeite grinned, remembering being pigtail-whipped on numerous occasions. Usagi pouted and laughed. "But still. Why are you here?"  
  
Usagi immediately fixed her puppy-dog eyes on him. "We're in town over night, and I was just wondering."  
  
"If I could set you up."  
  
"Yeah." Jadeite gave a mock-exasperated sigh.  
  
"Of course, darling girl. But." He eyed the other pilots "You're getting a separate room."  
  
"Naturally." Usagi disguised her mirth, and pecked Jadeite on the cheek. By this time, Hiiro was just shy of whipping out his gun and shooting the man on the spot, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the other pilots. They continued across the lobby, and Jadeite gave Usagi two keys, one for the guys and one for her. "So protective, Jadeite." He'd even gone so far as to put them on different floors.  
  
"Don't whine, Usagi. You got the better deal." Jadeite admonished, smiling. She looked at her key and nearly choked on her tongue.  
  
"The *penthouse*?!?!"  
  
"Just 'cause it's not taken, and you deserve the best." Usagi was speechless.  
  
"One of these days, I'll teach you not to say things like that. It's a baaaad idea. I might just decide to take advantage of you." And she hugged him one more time and took off to the elevator to check out her room, dragging the boys behind her.  
  
She definitely had Jadeite wrapped around her slender little fingers. The room was *huge*, with Jacuzzi tub, full room service, full entertainment, and the roof, complete with hot tub. After a quick perusing, Usagi pushed the guys out, asking their room number (2947), and claiming exhaustion. At the last minute, she opened the door and dragged Hiiro back in by his collar. "I need a word with ole' Hiiro, here."  
  
She slammed the door again, and glared at her old friend. "What the hell was that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That lovely little display downstairs. I could just choke you for that, Hiiro!"  
  
"Fuck! You were all over that guy! I can be a bit pissed!"  
  
"No, you can't! There are two things you need to remember here, Hiiro. First, Jadeite is a very dear friend of mine. I was not 'all over him.' And second, as I remember, you and I are not involved in anything that would give you any right to get all testosterone-driven and possessive! Or haven you forgotten about that wonderful little--"  
  
His lips were rough against hers, and as the kiss deepened, she relaxed into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and twisted her fingers into his chocolate hair. He tasted like white chocolate and coffee. He backed her against the door, and lifted her, hands around her small waist, to help even out the height difference. Pressing into her, he nipped her lower lip and she groaned deep in her throat. Eventually though, as all good things come to an end, they had to breathe. Gasping, Hiiro rested his forehead against hers. He opened his eyes to find possibly the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Usagi, hair mussed, cheeks flushed, biting her bruised-red lips, her almost transparent eyelashes glittering on her pale skin.  
  
Her chest heaved against his, and white-hot desire lanced through him. She looked at him. "Well, *that* was unexpected." She smiled and shifted against him.  
  
"Don't do that." He was sharper than he intended. She looked confused. He raised his eyes to hers, and it dawned on her. Raw desire was written plainly in his usually so guarded eyes.  
  
".oh." Then, smiling mischievously, she shifted again. Hiiro drew a ragged breath, and his hands tightened on her waist.  
  
"Usagi."  
  
"Come on, Hiiro, what are you afraid of?" She whispered, searching his face, drawing his eyes to her bee-stung lips. And she did it again. And Hiiro's hard-won control broke.  
  
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Lemon or no lemon? You tell me!!! ^^ 


	16. I've finally found you

::screams:: I can't believe I got so many review!!! ::jumps up and down:: I didn't think so many people still read this story! But, you see, it seems that review *do* work wonders! I'm able to write this so fast!  
  
For all of you who voted for a lemon, I wrote one, but out of courtesy to those who may not want to read such stuff, it's posted separately. You can find it under my author profile. Nothing really important happened, but some hot sweaty sex, so if you haven't read it, have no fear, you're not missing anything. ^.^  
  
This is very short, but it's finally got the Hiiro-Usagi tension resolved! And more!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters depicted herein, excepting the ones that I create. All characters are fictitious, any resemblance to any real person, living or dead, is incidental. No profit is being made by this.  
  
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After about an hour, Usagi stirred, and found herself comfortably pressed against an expanse of tanned chest. She looked up to see Hiiro staring down at her. She smiled, and his expression of worry softened some.  
  
"Usagi, we have to talk about this." His voice was gravelly and low, and she sighed at the sound of it.  
  
"I know." And she held herself closer to him.  
  
"Are you okay? I mean, I'm sorry for acting so rashly, I shouldn't have done that, but the moment—" Hiiro was cut short via a blow to the head.  
  
"Hiiro Yui! Don't you *dare* start that act! I am old enough to make my own decisions. And DAMN if I wasn't a willing participant. You get off your high horse right now, or I swear to whatever holy deity there is that I'll never speak a word to you again!" Hiiro was slightly dazed, and for a moment, he was struck dumb, and all he could do was stare, slightly gape- mouthed. Usagi was flushed, and her eyes glittered dangerously, as she forced herself away from him and stood. Her eyes glittered with hurt an humiliation, masked with anger and pride. She walked the length of the room, totally unashamed of her body and her state of undress. She was beautiful when she was angry, but unfortunately, she was also deadly. Then she softened, and her angered façade crumbled away, and she looked on the verge of tears.  
  
"Don't you see, Hiiro? All I've ever wanted is you. You can't just give that, and take it back. That's cruel, and I don't deserve to be treated like that. I deserve respect, damnit, and I'm not going to let you tear me down. " Her chin lifted at she stared down at him pridefully, the emotions flitting across her face hurting im more than any weapon could. He untangled himself from the sheets and crossed over to her and pulled her into his arms.  
  
Hiiro sighed deeply. "Gomen, Usagi. I was just worried that you would regret it." He rested his chin on top of her head, and breathed in the citrus-y scent of her hair.  
  
"No, Hiiro, I don't regret it, and I never will. You may be three years older than me, but I'm the one who's been waiting on you." He sighed, his breath ruffling her hair.  
  
"I suppose. Usagi, I... love you. I'm not sure what love is, or how it feels, or what to do about it, but I'm pretty sure I love you." Usagi sighed, and smiled, and relaxed a bit.  
  
"Okay. But Hiiro, you will *not* do this to me anymore. I am not a doormat, and I will not allow you to play with my emotions like you've been doing. If you do, I promise I will forget you. I will move on, and my heart will be forever closed to you. But, I love you, too."  
  
"Agreed." There was brief moment where they could appreciate the humour of Usagi giving him rules. And then she kissed him.  
  
It was as if a dam broke inside their minds, a small give in the barrier that blocked so much form them. And their minds were filled with memories they'd never seen before, and they stood bathed in moonlight, as suddenly, everything was made right.  
  
"Odin?" Usagi stared at Hiiro tearfully. Hiiro stroked her cheek and allowed himself the first tears in his life.  
  
"Serenity." And they crashed together, tasting tears on each others lips, and laughing.  
  
"I was starting to think I'd never find you. I can't believe it took us millennia to meet again." Usagi rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"I know." Hiiro stroked her hair. "Usagi, I can't remember what happened at the end, though. The last thing I remember is a flash of light, and then, nothing." Usagi sniffed.  
  
"Well, at least now I know you died quickly, and painlessly. Hiiro—Odin, whichever, you're the same person, I guess. I'm not quite sure how that works. Anyway, we held off the attack as long as we could, but it was futile. Everyone died, and I remember walking through the courtyard, and the ground was covered in blood, and it stained my dress, and it felt like I was already dead. All there was was blood, everywhere. *Everything* was coated in blood. And the people's bodies just lay there, soaked in their own blood, men, women, children, babies! Their faces were contorted with horror and fear, or sometimes you couldn't even see their faces, they were so mangled. And then I found you. And the queen, she asked me to work for her. I told her I would rather die, and I took your sword, and.... I killed myself. My mother expended the last bit of her energy to send everyone into the spirit plane to be reincarnated. And I spent the last of mine to bind my soul to yours, so that I could find you again. I didn't remember correctly in my last life, I'd been spelled to remember what my mother wanted me to. I just *knew* that something was wrong. And after a while, I could no longer lay everything out for everyone else to see, and use, and pretend to be happy. So I took the Ginzuishou, and I used it to, in essence, kill myself again. At the last minute, Hotaru threw herself in with me, and I took her with me. From there, this life began."  
  
"I can't believe you killed yourself for me. Does wonders for my ego, that you loved me *that* much, but I still don't think I'm worth it. And let's just stick with Hiiro for now. It's not so hard with you, I called you Usagi even then." Usagi smiled and nodded.  
  
"Hiiro, you're worth it. Why else would I follow you like this? I could have chosen to stay a spirit, refusing reincarnation for a state of eternal bliss. But it would not have been bliss without you. You've really got to get over this fixation of yours. It's so annoying when you do that whole 'I'm not worthy' thing. So stop it."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am!" Usagi giggled and slapped him lightly.  
  
"Smartass."  
  
"Hmph. This time, let's try not to get killed."  
  
"Sure thing. I kinda like finally being able to be with you."  
  
"No kidding."  
  
"And now, all those old memories are giving me all sorts of ideas." A wicked grin crossed Hiiro's face.  
  
"Hmm.... And now we have all the modern conveniences. Hot Tub?"  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
"Sex-fiend."  
  
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Usagi laughed as they made their way to the roof to make full use of the amenities. "It's not my fault you ruined me."  
  
"As I remember it, *you* jumped *me*, princess."  
  
"Psh. You need your head examined."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
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^_____^ YAY? Review, please! 


	17. Come on, Cowboy

gonk Holy shiz, I haven't written in… checks 2 or three years, depending on the story. It's not that I forgot about my stories, though! I won't make excuses, though I have many. Let's just say that I had to go play with real life for a while. And now, being older, hopefully wiser, and definitely more mature and emotionally stable, I feel ready to continue my work.

Okay?

Alright, one thins you'll notice that's changed about my writing is A: Hopefully some improvement, and B: Not as many Japanese words thrown in as before. In the three or so years since I grew out of my Japan obsession, I've forgotten most of it. I started learning French instead, and… yeah.

But, finally finding myself with the time, the inspiration, and the means, I believe I'll start updating again. As if anyone still reads these things. Oh, well, I have to finish it for myself, or I'll never get it out of my head, I think.

Oh, btw, the lemon that I wrote between the last chapter and this one got deleted of because it violated the rules. I might re-write it sometime, when I feel like it.

Waking up to Hiiro's familiar face, Usagi knew that every morning before this one had been wrong. For how else to explain the sense of pure rightness, then that before, it was wrong? Or at least not right. But this morning, this moment of opening her eyes and seeing the person she'd been searching for millennia for sleeping beside her, it was perfect. He looked so much younger in his sleep. Innocent. Peaceful. And for a while, she was content to lie on that high-end hotel bed and watch him and feel like, for the first time in centuries, everything was going to be okay.

And then her bladder interrupted.

When she returned to the main room, Hiiro was awake, propped up on his elbows and giving her a hooded look that tempted her to jump back in with him and let the day take care of itself. Pulling on her jeans, she grinned at him.

"Come on, cowboy, we've got stuff to do. Places to go, people to see, all that jazz." She found her sneakers and pulled her hair into a ponytail. "It's already 9 AM! We're meeting Hotaru in an hour, and I need food, babe. An energy level like mine isn't easy to maintain."

As she chattered on, Hiiro smiled to himself and quietly got dressed, content to listen to her sound happy. Grabbing her small overnight bag, they made their way down to the lobby where they got coffee and waited for the other guys.

When Hiiro hadn't returned by midnight, Duo had quite decided on what the Perfect Soldier was doing.

Guarding the girl while she slept, of course.

While his natural tendency for a dirty mind whispered all sorts of naughty things, a part of him was so sure of his friend's staunchness that he couldn't honestly believe that Hiiro would allow himself to have any sort of fun, even if it involved a pretty girl who clearly wanted to get in 01's pants.

That wasn't, of course, to say that he wouldn't bring up all the wicked ideas that had crossed his mind just to see whether he could get an emotion out of Hiiro.

Other than a gun to his face, that is.

He joked and alluded to all sorts of fun activities the missing member could have been up to until Quatre blushed beet red (probably to his toes) and stammered out a request for Duo to cease his disrespectful imaginings. Wufei had snorted, but otherwise ignored the braided fool's lascivious remarks, and Trowa stared at the wall and tried to pretend he wasn't hearing what he was hearing. They banged on Usagi's suite doors, but getting no response, assumed that the occupant(s) had already left, and so trooped down to the lobby.

Duo fell curiously silent when they actually found the people in question. Observing from across the luxurious lobby, it was easy to see a relationship that they began to realise they knew nothing about.

Hiiro, who always seemed to have something better to be doing than listening to somebody talk, actually seemed to be interested in what Usagi was prattling on about. And she was prattling. Cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling with excitement, Usagi sipped her coffee between seemingly endless sections of fast-paced chatter liberally punctuated with various gestures and expressions. And in the middle of the tiny girl apparently imitating someone she didn't like very much, Hiiro actually smiled. And laughed.

Really, it was more of a quick upturn of one side of his mouth and an amused snort, but it did wonders to the stoic man's face. For a brief second, his whole face was transformed, and it was breathtaking. Duo almost fell over from shock. This sudden insight into the people behind their masks, the true bond and friendship between them, how just the fact that Hiiro watched Usagi like there was nothing else in the world that mattered and her eyes seemed to glow when she caught his little expression of amusement spoke volumes.

All of a sudden, Duo's surety of his buddy's staunchness dissolved. All of a sudden, the impression of a hopelessly closed off, unemotional, impossibly stalwart half person was shot down in flames, and they all felt it. To Trowa and Wufei, it was surprise and a little bit of curiosity. To Quatre and Duo, it was surprise, curiosity, and little bit of hurt. It was somewhat disappointing that all the time they had spent trying to get Hiiro to open up had produced nothing, but all of a sudden this girl that none of them really knew showed up, and in less than a week garnered something they had attempted to get for years.

To be fair, though, Quatre thought, they did apparently grow up together. Of course there's a special bond there.

And when they recovered from their astonishment and actually approached the couple, they got another surprise. Upon realizing that the rest of group was drawing near, Hiiro actually looked over at them and the same strange little half-smile flitted across his face.

It appeared that more had gone n last night than even Duo could have imagined.

"Taru-chan!" Usagi shouted and bolted from the car. She enveloped the thin, pale girl in her arms and beamed into a face that the guys noticed was quite similar to her own. The two girls looked very much alike, and were of similar build, with Usagi being perhaps the more muscular, and Hotaru being maybe a little narrower in the face. They were about the same height, and both slim and pretty with large dark eyes and small delicate hands, and they shared a blatant affection. But Hotaru had pitch black hair and violet eyes, in sharp contrast to Usagi's light blonde and blue.

"Usa-chan. I'm so glad to see you again." The darker girl, though obviously happy to see her friend, was less exuberant in her expression. Her face held a soft smile, and her voice remained soft and even.

The blonde girl, gleaming in the sun, led her friend by the hand over to the guys leaning against the car. "Taru-chan, these guys are Hiiro, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei." She gestured at each as she mentioned them, and they either nodded, smiled, or just blinked in response. "They're all great guys, you'll like them. Just don't let Wufei get on your case too much." Usagi smiled happily. "And guys, this is my sister, Hotaru!"

This got Hiiro's attention. "Sister?" He directed his piercing gaze at the girls, mentally cataloguing their similarities.

"Well, actually, my cousin, but whatever, we're sisters." Usagi stared back, seeming to wordlessly communicate something to the inquisitive boy. She mouthed 'Saturn' to him, and Hiiro's eyes widened a fraction only really visible to her, and recognition appeared on his face, heralded only by a slight relaxing of the forehead. His eyes flicked to the darker girl, who gave him a small smile, and he gave a surprisingly respectful nod.

Quatre caught this whole exchange. "I get the feeling there's a whole lot more going on here than we thought…"

Usagi smiled at him. "I'll explain everything later Quatre. I have neither the time nor the capacity right now, though. But trust me, everything will come to light soon; I wouldn't dream of sending you into this thing blind." He frowned slightly, but accepted this statement for the moment. "Things are going to get very complicated very soon, and I need to figure some things out before I try to tell you guys everything."

Accepting this, they all squeezed back into the car and prepared to survive Usagi's driving.

DBZ

After a lot of planning and seemingly interminable waiting, they were finally ready to try and cross over to Usagi's universe. They had been crushed at first, when Videl had told them that she couldn't bring Usagi to them. Apparently, Fate and Destiny were thoroughly blocking her from taking the girl from where she apparently needed to be. But they could go to her.

And so, Videl was trying to move more people across dimensions that she had ever attempted before. In fact, the total number of people she was going to try to bring was probably more than all her previous passengers put together.

They gathered around her, everyone connected somehow. Linked arms, clasped hands, supporting hugs in the case of Chichi, who was so nervous she could hardly stand. Holding her staff, Videl concentrated. She reached deep inside herself and let her power release in waves.

In a flash, the whole group was gone.


	18. Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks

I hope this program will carry over the formatting this time. It didn't last time, which made my last chapter slightly more confusing than it had to be, but oh well.

I shall fix that sometime soon.

Well, here comes another chapter. Yeah, they're still kinda far apart but hey, at least it's not 2 years again! In the time that I've spent not worrying over this chapter, I've been playing with real life again. Got a full time job now for the summer. I'm trying really hard to make some money before I head off to college in the fall, but my dad just got fired again, so my paychecks are mainly going towards things like rent, food, and bills. I'm actually not sure If I'm going to be able to go to college at all this year. If not, well, that seriously sucks for me.

Anyway, enough of my problems, how about some good things?

First of all, I ADORE my reviewers!

MoonBunny777

April

Chou Hime

Kallista Starshooter

Becky Yuy

DeAtHsTeNsHi

Dragonfly

Moose22244128

Fire Dolphin

Angel

Moon Luv

I loves you guys! . You're what keeps me writing, no matter how few and far between my chapters are!

Also, this story has 6522 hits!

OMFG!

I know I could bitch "Yaryar, 6522 hit, only 209 reviews!" but I don't think I shall, mainly because I read stories a lot without reviewing them myself. And 209 reviews is still a shitload in my mind!

Kays, there's a story to be written, and I shall GET ON WITH IT!

( o) ---------- (o )

Back on the colony, the pilots watched as Usagi and Hotaru conversed rapidly in a language none of them could even begin to understand. At least, they thought none of them could understand it, until Hiiro interjected a brief sentence in the strange, but pretty language. The re-group with Dr. J had gone rather well, Some of Usagi and Hotaru's explainations were rather thin, but when called on it, neither of the girls would budge in their statements. Duo was beginning to feel a bit left out, and was about to pester one of the girls, preferably Hotaru, about what the hell they were talking about.

Unfortunately for him, a very bright flash, accompanied by a very small popping sound diverted everyone's attention.

When the light faded, there were gasps all around as a large group of people were revealed to be standing in Quatre's living room. Hiiro's gun was already out, and the other pilots were fully on guard. The loud, shocked noise that Usagi made brought some attention to her as she stood from the loveseat she had been curled into and stared disbelievingly at the newcomers.

"Daddy? Mom?"

"Usagi!"

The small blonde girl launched herself at a very large man who was supporting a rather smaller dark haired woman. Her parents, they guessed. She didn't look a bit like either of them. To most of the people in the room, this was a small mystery. To certain knowledgable persons, it was easily explained by the fact that Usagi's Lunarian blood would always overpower that of her mortal parents. The whole family was at least a few inches, at most somewhat more than a foot taller than her, all dark haired, dark eyed, and tan. Usagi's wispy little body, silvery blonde hair and bright blue eyes made her look entirely out of place surrounded by these large, dark beings. They were muscular, obviously strong; Usagi's strength was well hidden. But they began to notice small similarities. The large man whose thick arms she had thrown herself into shared her wide, easy smile. Hiiro especially recognised the intensity in the eyes of the woman beside him; he had seen that look in Usagi's eyes on more than one occasion.

For Goku, it was a joyful, and painful experience for him, seeing his little girl again. She was a woman now, despite the fact that her head didn't even reach his shoulder. In the same breath, it was her sheer tinyness that reminded him of how he had feared accidentaly hurting her, _breaking _her when she was a baby. Whereas his sons were large and heavily muscled like him, she was compact and wiry and light as a feather. He didn't have to go anywhere near his saiyan strength to pick up this petite woman-child that he couldn't quite believe he had managed to create.

It was much the same for Chi-Chi. Her baby, her little girl, was grown up, and she hadn't been there to guide her. A part of her wanted to hope she was good in school and tried to stay away from fighting. The same part was concerned that she seemed to be living with five young men, one of whom seemed particularly attuned to her daughter. Most of her, though, was just so happy to have her child back that she pusheed those thoughts to the back of her mind, to be contemplated later. It was a joyful, tearful reunion that quited a bit when Videl stepped forward, a contrite, nearly desperate look on her face.

"God, I'm so, _so _sorry. Will you ever be able to forgive me?" The once proud woman fell to her knees in front of the small princess. Usagi smiled and touched the time guardian's face.

"For what, Setsuna? Everything I've been through has only made me what I am today."

"And what is that?"

"...happy."

( o) ---------- (o )

**Warning: This portion contains some mature content! Skip directly to next chapter or leave if you don't wish to read it!**

( o) ---------- (o )

Late that night; after the chaos had been sorted out, and everyone had been assigned rooms and Usagi thanked Quatre profusely for his generosity, causing the reserved boy to blush and stammer, especially when she hugged him tightly and he turned a nearly apoplectic shade of red; Usagi snuck quietly into Hiiro's room. He hadn't really been expecting her, thinking she would be exhausted by the day of reconnecting with her family, but he welcomed her easily. She gave him a soft smile that made something warm turn over in his heart, and crawled under the covers and into his arms. He kissed her gently, lightly, somehow sensing that she needed this. Slowly their hands started to roam, stroking, petting, eliciting quiet sounds of need and desire. Her body stiffened, then relaxed as he found her center and slowly brought her to paradise. Then he was inside her, moving slowly, intensely.

Harsh, hot breath mingled

Sweat-slicked hands clasped.

Finely honed muscles moved together in a rythm known only to them.

Closely guarded emotion rippled to the surface as the fated lovers crashed together, rising and falling in unison, their breath-taking oneness pushing them towards a precipice that they willingly threw themselves over, and with a short, sharp, muted cry, fell, together, into oblivion.

( o) ---------- (o )

Short chapter, I know.

And the last bit there was for Becky Yuy, who asked for "naughty bits." Does that meet your request?

Until next time, my loves!


	19. The walls fall before we do

Hey, all! It's been less than three months since I updated; I'm improving wouldn't you say?

Anyway, I now have a lot more ime on my hands, being that I'm living on my own and all. (Yes, the college thing worked out! Yay! I'll be paying off my loans until I die, but that's okay!)) It's kind of weird having this rather large apartment, and only me and my kitty to fill it. But, I'm adjusting, and my family comes up to visit quite often, as I'm only about 150 miles from them. And now I have all this time, with no one to amuse me, so I've been been writing more. Both for this account and some of my others, elsewhere.

Now, about this story. It's nearly tied up! I'm entering the home stretch here, can't really see much more to do with the plot, so I figure it'll probably be, at most, 5 more chapters before I'm all done. How bittersweet!

And, once again, a hug thank you to my reviewers. I love you guys!

This chapter is kind of heavy on dialogue.

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"So, Usa-chan, how are you doing in school?" Chi-Chi asked over breakfast the next morning.

"Actually," Usagi gulped, " I don't go to school." Her mother was obviously shocked, her brothers snickered, and her father tried to stop an explosion.

"Why not?" He asked, stopping Chi-Chi from ranting about the importance of education. He was sure there was a reason that Usagi wasn't in school; she seemed pretty smart to him!

"Well, Dr. J. taught me pretty much everything I need to know. I was already pretty advanced when I was found, so I took an equivalency exam when I was 11, and more than passed. I did attend a high school for a couple years, but that's when I was hiding out on Earth, and it was really just to keep up appearances. Now it's just a question about whether I want to go on to university or not. Whatever I decide, it probably won't be for a couple years, because I've got a lot of other things going on right now." It seemed even Chi-Chi could accept this. A somewhat crafty look took over the matriarch's face as she headed into her next question.

"And do you have a special boy in your life?"

Usagi choked on her orange juice, and found the whole table looking at her with interest. "Umm.." The corner of Hiiro's mouth twitched; he was amused, and she nearly threw her fork at him. "I wouldn't exactly call him a 'boy.'" The nerve! Letting her face this question all alone! "Really more of a man-whore." Everybody's jaw dropped, even Hiiro's. Minute as it was, Usagi could read him like no other, and had quite shocked him. "Lot's of fun, but he insists on being paid by the hour, and since I'm currently unemployed, I might have to cut him loose one of these days." Even further shock. Finally, she laughed. "You guys should see your faces!" She brandished her spoon at Hiiro. "And you! Leaving a girl to fend for herself like that! Why, I should kick your ass for you!"

"I knew it!" Chi-Chi crowed. "I knew it! He... watches you, and I just knew!" Then she burst into tears. "My baby's all grown up and in love!" Usagi flushed quite spectacularly, and the more observant people at the table noticed the tips of Hiiro's ears turn red.

"Yui! You're consorting with that... that weak onna!" Usagi glared at Wufei annoyedly.

"That 'weak onna' could pin you in less than 10 seconds, Wufei." The pilots looked shocked, for reasons unknown to the rest of Usagi's family.

"Hii-man... I think that's the first full sentence you've ever said to us..." Duo mock-whispered.

"Hn." Back to normal, it seemed. Duo slung an arm around Hiiro's shoulders.

"So, if she ever gets tired of speaking troll, I can have her next, right?" The next thing anybody knew, there was a gun in Duo's face.

"Omae o korosu!" Usagi's family looked vaguely alarmed, but the petite girl just shook her head and sighed.

"Boys."

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Some months later, Usagi's family had relocated to a large house that Usagi had purchased, after charming the agent down to a more reasonable price. Given the sheer number of people living in said house, it was rather cramped, and afforded little privacy, particularly to Usagi, who had long been a solitary creature. She had moved in with them at her mother's insistence. Her parents had fallen right back into parenting, and decidedly did not want her living in a house with five young men, even though, or perhaps especially because they knew she was involved with one of them. And while she loved her family, she really did, and she loved spending time with them, having the constant press of people around her was making her claustrophobic. The fact that they were all so much bigger than her was sending her long ingrained combat senses haywire. While at first, the fights for the shower and sharing a bedroom with Pan had been novel and fun, it was quickly growing old. Usagi had always, alway liked having her space. She needed quiet, and down-time, precious commodoties in the Son household, to relax, and she hadn't seen Hiiro in nearly two weeks.

In short, she was on her last nerve.

So that evening, when she spontaneously burst into tears and stormed out the front door, they were suitably confused and surprised.

And when Hiiro, who had been boredly laying on the floor in his room suddenly found a sobbing mass of blond hair on his chest, he was also confused and surprised. Both because she had somehow managed to sneak up on him, and because he couldn't remember the last time, if ever, she had been this upset. After a moment of indecision, he rested his hands on her back and rubbed circles with his fingers. When her sobbing finally ceased, she sat up a little and rubbed her swollen eyes. "What's gotten into you, vanida?" A little half-sob shook her, and she breathed raggedly.

"I'm sorry." She hiccupped and wiped her still-wet cheeks, a futile action, as more tears were silently leaking out. She gave a small, humorless laugh. "I must look awful."

"You're beautiful." Truly, red, swollen eyes, raw cheeks, and a red-tipped nose didn't suit her at all, but it hardly mattered to him outside of the fact that it represented pain. "Who made you cry?"

"No one. I just.. I'm frustrated, I guess. I haven't seen you in so long, and we haven't had any time to ourselves in even longer, and I miss you, and it's driving me crazy to never have any time for myself, and I'm constantly surrounded by people, and I love them, but I don't think I could stand them for another second right now, and I feel so guilty, because I shouldn't feel this way!" She nearly burst into tears again at the end of her rambling dialogue.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy, vanida. Did you mention any of this to them?" He continued rubbing circles on her back.

"No. I... I don't want them to think I don't want them around. I do. But I need to have some quiet and to be alone for a while to balance it out. I even share a bedroom! There's no escape!"

"Escape?"

"I don't mean it that way. It's just wearing me down to constantly have all these huge people pressed around me, asking questions, hugging me for no apparent reason! I've been trained as a soldier! It startles the hell out of me to suddenly have someone pick me up from behind and spin me around like they do! And not seeing you.. it hurts. Physically. I just feel this ache when I haven't seen you in so long, and it's so hard to move around it! We've been searching for eachother for milennia, and now that we've finally found eachother, my parents keep us apart because they want to 'preserve my innocence,' I guess. Bit late for that, but they think it's inappropriate for a young girl to spend so much time with a bunch of men."

"They're just doin what they think is best. They're probably worried sick about you right now."

"I know." She pitched forward and rested her forhead on his breastbone. "I'm a selfish brat."

He smirked. "Only a little bit." She lightly smacked him. She shifted her head so that her pointy little chin was now digging into his chest and stared at him.

"I love you." As usual, he felt that strange warm flutter in his heart.

"I know, vanida." She smiled.

"I'm going to have to come up with a nice little nickname for you. Yadid? Raman? Caradoc?" She giggled at his face. "Prehaps Navid. Vanida and Navid. I think it fits! But if you don't like it, how about Lezane? Keefer? Erasmus? Cer-" He occupied her lips, and she didn't speak but in a passionate cry for quite some time.

-----

She rolled off him, and lay gasping for breath. "Oh, god, marry me." He laughed, a real laugh, one that even she didn't hear very often. She twisted to look at him. "No, I'm serious. Let's get married."

He silenced, and looked at her, just as intensely as she was scrutinizing him. "Your mother would kill me."

"No, she wouldn't. She'd be upset at first, and then she'd get over it and be ecstatic. Come on, we could just put our clothes back on and hop a shuttle tonight. Go to Las Vegas, or something." He searched her eyes.

"You don't really want that."

"Of course I do! I love you, and you love me, and I see no reason for us to sit around playing this waiting game."

"So that's it. You don't want to worry about your parents trying to be your parents, and you're not thinking straight right now."

"Hiiro-"

"You cannot lie to me, Chibi." He stroked his hand along her waist, ran his thumb absent-mindedly over the scar on her abdomen. She teared up again.

"Is it because I can't have children?" He noticed for the first time that he had been touching her scar.

"No! Don't ever think that, Usagi. I love you, not what you can or can't do. I'd probably be an awful parent, anyway." He laid his hand over the raised, pale mark. "This doesn't matter to me. I just don't think you want this for the right reasons." He moved his hand to cup her cheek. "Someday, vanida, we'll get married. Someday. And your father will give you away, and you can make your senshi wear hideous bridesmaid dresses, and your mother will cry, and not because she missed it."

Usagi smiled, a little bittersweet. "I had no idea you were such a romantic, dov."

"Hn." She burst out laughing.

----- ---- --- -- - -- --- ---- -----

When she returned home, a little rumpled, but looking much better, she found her father waiting on the front steps. He remained silent as she sat next to him. He cleared his throat. "We looked for you."

"I was with Hiiro." She felt the guilt intensify.

"We figured that, after a while." He didn't look at her, but at his hands, and she felt like crying again.

"I'm sorry. I just... I freaked out, and Hiiro, he always makes me see sense. He has a way of making me take a step back to seehow dumb I'm being."

"What did you 'freak out' about?"

"No one thing in particular. It, uh.. " She swallowed, thickly. "It just kept building. I don't know what say... I mean, I'm so, so happy to have you back; I missed you like crazy, and I've been so happy to get to have a family again. But.. " She sighed, and tried to start again. "For most of my life, I've been alone. I've spent my time mainly with Hiiro and Dr. J, and for a while with a bunch of girls that I did little more than lie to. And now, all of a sudden, I've got all these people around me. And at first, it was nice. It was new, and I loved the loud, crazy fun of it all. But after a while, I started to go a little crazy around the edges. I love you guys. So much. More than I ever thought I could. But sometimes I just need to be alone for a while. I need quiet, so I can think straight. And I hadn't seen Hiiro in so long, it was starting to actually hurt." All of this was said quietly, as she, too, stared at her hands.

"You were like that when you were little, too." She looked up and saw a small, remembering smile on her father's face. "When things would get too crazy or loud, you'd just wander off to another room, or outside, to play all by yourself." He sighed. " I don't know why I didn't expect you to still need that. As for Hiiro... I guess I just don't want to give up my little girl, when I've just got her back." This time, Usagi did start crying again.

"Dad, you don't have to give me up. I'm not going anywhere. But, Hiiro is a part of me. When he's not around, I feel like I can't breathe right anymore. He would never try to take me from you, because he knows, all to well, how important you all are to me. I mean, for god's sake, I tried to get him to run away with me and get married, and he told me no."

"He said no?"

"Well, actually he said 'someday.' He said that someday, he'd marry me, but not unless you're there to give me away, and mom wouldn't miss it." Goku chuckled.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's a lot sweeter than he puts on. He knows how much you mean to me, and he would never want to cause any trouble between you guys and me. But.. I have all of you. I have so many people to love, and I'm all he has. He doesn't remember having a family. All he's ever known is me and Dr. J., and then later, the other pilots, but he has quite a lonely existence. And I need him, daddy. You know how you said Setsuna showed you my past lives? He was that man. We've been chasing after eachother for thousands of years, and now we have eachother again, and I don't think I've ever been this happy in all of my lives. Well, I guess I was happy enough in the last one, but only a happy that came from hardly having a brain to think with. I have a real family, and the man I've loved forever, and as soon as I can have both of them at the same time, everything will be so unbelievably perfect." Goku sighed, and put an arm around her. He pulled her close, and she fell into the hug, and somehow, laughed and cried simultaeously. After a while, Chi-Chi joined them, and they talked until well past midnight. The only bump was reached when Chi-Chi jokingly remarked about having a platoon of little grandbabies with Hiiro's blue eyes and Usagi's hair, and Usagi had to explain to them about her injury.

They still had to worry about returning to their home, and all the ramifications of that, considering that Usagi's life was in this world. There were still a few wedges between the large, happy family. They had to overcome a lot of troubles. But they knew that, with time, everything would be alright.

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So? Ya like?

I hope so.

FYI, Vanida means Beloved Woman, Wife in Sanskrit, and Dov means beloved in Hebrew. All the other names mean the same in different languages.

Two songs that I listened to while writing this chapter are: Suds in the Bucket, by Sara Evans and My Litle Girl, by Tim McGraw. I suggest giving them a listen! If you don't already have them, there are several videos containing them on YouTube! And the Title is From I'll Stay With You, by The Goo Goo Dolls, it can also be found on YouTube.

Review, please!


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